I Am Loki, Of Asgard
by J Svogar
Summary: Loki is overlooked for the throne, prompting his mother to reveal a secret about his past, sending him on a journey of self-discovery. What will he do with this new information? Will he embrace his past and claim his rightful place on the throne, or will he bow to his brother?
1. Thor Before Loki

The throne room was full; it felt to Loki as though all of Asgard was there that day, to watch his father pass on the mantle of power. He stood to one side of the throne, resplendent in his robes, beside his brother. Thor's smile was cocky, as usual, but Loki knew better. They were both nervous on this day. Odin had been reticent in who he would name to succeed him on the throne of Asgard, but both young men had been brought up to rule. He had told them, on numerous occasions, that they were _both_ meant to rule. Loki had long wondered what this was supposed to mean-they couldn't both rule-and today was the day that wondering would finally be put to rest.

He glanced across the dais at his mother, Frigga, who looked back and smiled warmly. She was always a source of comfort and strength to him. While Thor had enjoyed dalliances with various ladies of the court, Loki had only ever found the feminine company of his mother to be a pleasure. True, the young women fawned over him almost as much as his brother, but they held no interest for the younger prince. He was content with his magic, his books, and the occasional prank on his brother. Speaking of whom, Thor was making subtle (and not-so-subtle) winks and gestures to some of the ladies in the front row of nobles. Loki rolled his eyes, then caught Frigga's admonishing stare. Chastised, he lowered his gaze and cleared his throat, elbowing Thor in the back to get his attention.

"Can you control yourself just this once?" he hissed under his breath.

Thor favored him with a lopsided grin. "Why, Loki, are you jealous?"

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes again. Thor simply chuckled, pleased to have gotten under his brother's skin.

A moment later, a fanfare arose and the huge, gilded doors at the other end of the room opened. Odin stepped forth in all his glory, staff in hand, and walked confidently toward the dais. He spared not a glance for his sons or his wife, but took his seat on the throne and addressed the whole assembly.

"There comes a time in every king's life when he knows to pass the reins of power to one with an eye to the future-casting off the shackles of the past in favor of a brighter tomorrow. My two sons" he indicated the princes, who unconsciously stood a little taller, "have grown before the gaze of Asgard. They have earned their place in your world, in your hearts, and in this throne room.

"No father likes to choose between his children, for to elevate one inevitably forces the other to feel less. This was never my intention with my sons." He beckoned them forward. Thor and Loki moved in tandem, standing before the throne and kneeling before their father.

"However, this is not the decision of a father-but of a king. And as a king, I must name a successor. It is my wish that Thor shall take the throne in my place…"

Loki did not hear much after that; his ears and head rushed with a flush of humiliation and anger. Righteous indignation seethed through him as he thought back to a childhood of promises-promises now broken-and tried very hard not to let his mental glare show on his face. He did not dare look to Frigga now, or he might break. Her eternal tenderness toward him would be more than he could take right at that moment.

The rest of the ceremony was lost on the young prince, who conducted himself through a haze of indifference-his strongest defense-and tried to ignore the growing disappointment in his chest, a feeling that ached like nothing he had ever felt before.

When the formalities were concluded, Loki excused himself from the following festivities and stalked the halls, headed down into the catacombs where he could find some peace and solitude. He did not have it for long, however, as Frigga soon found him.

"I thought you might be down here," her voice reached him before the sound of her footfalls did.

Loki jumped in surprise, whirling and drawing out two hidden daggers on pure instinct before realizing it was his mother. When he saw that it was she, he sheathed the daggers and muttered an oath under his breath. Frigga's eyebrow arched in disapproval, and Loki was cowed.

"I didn't realize it was you, Mother. I am sorry."

"As well you should be. Such language… Very unbecoming of a prince." She chided him, though she smiled.

"Prince!" He spat the word in disgust. "Fat lot of good that title does me now! Am I to be Thor's lackey for the rest of my life? Always following after him, picking up the scraps he leaves behind?"

Frigga was taken aback, but only for a moment. "Loki, you have many talents. Your father knows this. You are a crowned prince of Asgard, the same as your brother before you. But…"

"But?" Loki looked at her, suspiciously. He had learned many tricks from Frigga over the centuries, not the least of which was subterfuge. "If you have something to say, Mother, say it. I'm not in the mood for games."

Frigga sighed in resignation. "It is high time you knew, anyway. Your father won't like it, but he certainly won't be the one to tell you, so I suppose that falls to me. Come." She beckoned him and walked further into the catacombs, toward Odin's museum of treasures. Loki, overcome with a sense of trepidation mixed with curiosity, followed.

Frigga passed through the museum, barely glancing at the trophies collected there, and led Loki down into the dungeon. She whispered a few words to the guard on duty, who reluctantly stood aside and let them pass. Taking a torch from the wall, she walked confidently through the dungeon to the last cell, motioning Loki to come stand beside her. He did, peering into the darkened cell, unable to see anything at first.

After a moment, the torchlight found its quarry. An ice giant, nearly 9 feet tall, sat in one corner of the cell. Loki gasped and drew his daggers, but Frigga put a hand on his arm, shaking her head.

"He will not harm us, my son. He is here as a prisoner of war, and we will not harm _him. _He has something to show you." She whispered.

Putting her hand up to the force field around the cell, she murmured the incantation and the field dissipated. She set the torch in the wall slot inside the cell and put her hand out to Loki, to lead him in. He took it with some hesitation, and stepped up onto the platform.

The ice giant did not move at first, then turned its head to face them. Its gaze took in Frigga first, then moved to Loki behind her, and it smiled.

"Ah, you have finally brought him to me." The giant said in a low, booming voice. Even speaking in low tones, Loki could feel the vibrations of its voice ripple through him like stones rolling down a hill.

"It is time, Laufey." Frigga said, bringing Loki further into the cell. Loki's stomach tightened-time for what, exactly, he wondered to himself.

The ice giant nodded solemnly and held out his hand to Loki, who recoiled in disgust. Frigga took his arm and placed it firmly in the giant's grasp, who gripped him tightly around the wrist. Before Loki could shake free, knowing full well that anything an ice giant touches turned to ice and panicking a little at the prospect, the scales on his regalia armor shivered off his arm, shattering on the stone floor in a million shards of frozen nothingness. His arm began to turn blue and then-nothing. He looked down, and his arm was returning to normal, though Laufey still held his wrist in a deathly strong grip.

"What-what was _that_?!" Loki stammered, staring down at his uninjured arm as Laufey released him and leaned back into the shadows.

"Would you like to know what makes you different, Loki? Why your father chose Thor instead of you for the throne?" Frigga asked, a hard edge to her voice that Loki had never heard before. He nodded. "Then ask Laufey, here. He holds the keys to your past, and quite possibly, your future."

Without another word, Frigga stepped lightly out of the cell and walked back up the corridor of the dungeon.


	2. Laufey

Loki watched after Frigga's retreating form for a moment, dumbfounded, before turning back to Laufey's still form sitting before him in the shadows. _What in the world could she be thinking, leaving me down here with this thing?! _he thought, his indignation building as he studied the frost giant surreptitiously.

"I suppose," Laufey said quietly after a moment, his voice still rumbling in the small chamber, "that you would like to know why your mother left you here, little prince." There was a hint of mocking in his tone, and Loki bristled.

"Do you have something to tell me? I am tired of people dragging me around today, only to be disappointed by a lack of worthwhile information in the end." First Odin, then Frigga, now even this frost giant was going to mock him by dangling some unknown truth before him and snatching it away. _Well, _Loki thought, _I'm not having that. Whatever he wants to tell me, he will tell me. _

He moved to stand before Laufey and peered up into the giant's eyes. "What do you know?" he asked with what he hoped was an air of authority.

Laufey chuckled. "Would you like to know why you did not freeze against my touch, little prince?"

"_Stop calling me that!" _Loki shouted. He cleared his throat, composing himself and adjusting his robes, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then looked back up at Laufey. "My name is Loki Odinson, and you will address me as such, or as Your Highness. 'Little Prince' seems so…"

"Familiar?" Laufey filled in for him.

"Yes. And inappropriate for a prisoner of war." Loki finished, hoping the flush did not show on his face. Odin had never given him a nickname growing up, and something about this frost giant doing so now felt incredibly uncomfortable.

Laufey chuckled again, and shook his head. "Well, Your Highness, there are things about Jotunheim that your _father _never told you."

The way he said "father" made Loki's skin crawl. The contempt was overwhelming, and Laufey's lip curled into a snarl when he said it.

"Look, I am sure you are displeased at being captured-any of us would be. But that is no reason to try to rewrite what happened. My father wasn't the only one who fought on Jotunheim-my brother and I fought there, too, and the battles were well-won. You lost, plain and simple."

Laufey stared at him for a long, hard moment before continuing. "I have been a prisoner here for longer than you know, Your Highness. The battle in which Odin took me prisoner was fought centuries ago-on Midgard. My capture was part of a larger pact, one to which I agreed under duress, that surrounded the kidnapping and holding of my only son by Odin."

Loki had been rolling his eyes, chalking this recounting up to the ramblings of a prisoner's deranged mind, until that last. His father had mentioned, in the course of his and Thor's studies of the Jotunn War, Laufey and his pillaging of Midgard...but never mentioned a son.

"What son?" he asked, suspiciously narrowing his eyes as his curiosity piqued along with a new and growing sense of dread.

Laufey smiled a sad, knowing smile and arched an icy eyebrow at Loki. "Odin found my son, seemingly abandoned, in an old church. In truth, his mother had placed him there for safekeeping-to hide him from the battle, so she might continue the fight without putting our infant son in danger. When she fell in battle, I returned for our son, only to find Odin holding him. He used his magic to transform my son's appearance to make the child look more like him.

"When I protested, he offered me a proposition. One that would end the war we fought, that would bring peace between our worlds." Laufey paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath, remembering the moment of defeat.

Loki's face darkened and he reached up for the torch in the wall. "I have heard enough of your lies." He muttered, turning to the wall and stepping down off the platform, summoning up the force field. "I am Loki Odinson, brother to Thor, son of Frigga, and you will not cloud my mind with such nonsense as this."

Laufey's face was sad as he turned to face the young prince, standing defiantly outside the cell glaring at him. "As you wish, little prince. Ask Odin for the truth, then. The _whole _truth." And with that, he turned his back on the torchlight and resumed his solitude.


	3. The Secrets Revealed

Marching up the corridor, Loki barely noticed the other cells or the guard as he passed them. He couldn't get Laufey's words out of his head-they echoed and bounced around, repeating over and over.

"_Ask Odin for the truth. The _whole _truth." _

Loki shook his head to clear it and stalked through the museum, taking the stairs two at a time. Before he could reach the gilded doors, however, something caught his eye. The cask that Odin supposedly brought back from that conquest on Midgard, when he had conquered and subdued the frost giants, lay to one side of the room, glinting softly in the torchlight.

Loki stopped short of the doors, his hand already outstretched, and turned toward the cask. He squinted at it suspiciously. It was supposed to be a relic from Jotunheim-a symbol of their subjugation-given to Odin as a peace offering when the treaty was signed after a great battle was won. Loki had heard the story a dozen times growing up, as Odin had led him and Thor through the various halls of the museum down here, telling them stories of everything he had collected.

Now it seemed to call out to the young prince; he could almost hear whispers coming from it, and though he could not make out their words, he knew they called to him. He hitched the torch he still carried into the wall and approached the cask hesitantly, his hand reaching for it. He felt an odd, tingling sensation on his hand, crawling up his bare arm as he neared the vessel, and he glanced down at it. What he saw made him draw in a hissing breath.

His hand had turned an icy blue, and the color change was slowly making its way up his arm, the closer he moved to the cask. If not for the lack of change in feeling, he would say he was freezing to the bone. He withdrew his hand and, after a moment, it returned to its normal flesh tone.

There was a loud _bang _as the gilded doors swung wide open and Odin entered the hall, looking around frantically for a moment before spotting Loki. His gaze softened for a moment before he saw what Loki stood beside, and then his one eye hardened again.

"What are you doing down here, my son?" Odin asked, his voice a study in casual nonchalance.

Loki looked back down at his hand, willing it to change again. To his mild surprise, it did. He felt the tingling sensation spread throughout him and he turned slowly to face Odin.

Odin tried hard to hide his surprise and dismay. Loki was entirely blue, except for his eyes, which were a burning amber. The magic Odin had cast on him as a baby to make him appear Asgardian was no longer any match for his strong will-and it was in that moment that Odin knew Loki knew the truth.

"Father," Loki started calmly. The calm in his voice belied the rage he felt building in his belly. "Tell me about Laufey's son."

Odin did not speak for a moment. Somehow he knew this moment would come, but he had hoped it would not happen for many years yet, not until Loki was old enough and wise enough to handle the knowledge.

"The cask was not the only thing you took from Midgard that night, was it?" Loki asked, his amber eyes accusing Odin without saying the words aloud.

"There _was _a child-an infant-left abandoned in an old church. It would have died, had I not found it," Odin said, his shoulders sagging a little in defeat. This was inevitable, now. "I took it-him-and cast a spell on him to make him appear Asgardian. Frigga and I agreed to raise him as our own, to save him."

"_Liar!_" Loki shouted, his voice echoing in the open chamber. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to collect himself, and continued more calmly. "I have spoken with Laufey, _Odin." _Loki spat out the name. Odin visibly recoiled. "Tell me the real truth."

There came the sound of a throat clearing, and Loki's eyes shot upward, to the open doorway, where Frigga stood. His eyes welled with unshed tears at the betrayal, felt so completely, and he could not utter a word. His mouth moved soundlessly.

"Odin," she said as she descended the stairs and stood beside him, facing Loki, "it is time. He needs to know. If you don't tell him, I will."

Odin muttered something in disgruntlement, but did not protest. "Loki, you are the son of Laufey. Your mother left you in that church, and when Laufey returned to claim you, I had found you lying on the cask. I offered him peace-on two conditions. One was that he be my prisoner for the remainder of his life, and the second was that you return with me as a prince of Asgard, thus effectively ending his rule and his line."

Loki stumbled backward a step and his hand brushed the cask. He felt a shockwave of energy shoot through him and wrenched away from it. Frigga came forward and grabbed him just as he fell to the floor. The icy blue hue to his skin slowly faded, replaced with what he recognized. He looked up at her and his eyes were once again the same cool blue that she knew and loved. She held him by the shoulders as he tried to gain his bearings, unsure what that contact did to him.

"Why?" Loki croaked out, drawing a ragged breath.

"Politics, my son," Odin answered in a distant manner. Frigga's silence spoke volumes of her disapproval as she turned to glare at him, her hands still on Loki's shoulders.

"I. Am not. Your son." Loki stated haltingly, standing up and brushing Frigga's touch aside.

"Of course you are. I raised you. I have spent the past 700 years teaching you, grooming you, raising you to be the best man you can possibly be." Odin said dismissively, not even looking at Loki.

"All so you can toss me aside for Thor?!" Loki shot back. "I do not believe that you ever had any intention of 'grooming' me for anything other than being Thor's lackey-a constant reminder for you in your dotage of your conquest of my _real _father!"

Odin's attention was finally caught by that last statement, and he fixed his gaze on the younger man. He narrowed his one good eye and stood to his full height. "If that is the way you feel, then so be it. This is on _your _head, _Loki Laufeyson._"

Frigga's eyes closed in pain at that, and she moved to Odin. "Please. Don't do anything rash."

Odin waved her away, and addressed Loki. "I hereby banish you from Asgard. You are stripped of your titles and heritages. You are no longer my son, a prince of Asgard, or one of her people. You will be escorted across the Bifrost and are to never return!"

Loki stood stunned for a moment, silent, and then turned to Frigga. He made as if to speak, but Frigga shook her head, putting her hand up. She turned, walking away quickly to hide her tears, and the gilded doors closed loudly behind her.

Odin and Loki stood alone in the chamber, glaring at one another, each silently daring the other to speak first. Odin broke the silence by calling for guards. When the arrived, he pointed to Loki.

"Escort this person across the Bifrost and inform Heimdall that he shall be cast out, onto Midgard, never to return."

Loki was numb as his armed escort led him through the palace and across the glistening, rainbow bridge to the tower at the edge of Asgard. His one thought was that he would not get to say goodbye to Thor. As if brought by the sheer power of Loki's thought, Thor appeared just as they neared the tower.

"Loki! Where are you headed?" Thor asked easily, a smile on his face until he saw Loki's blank expression and pale features. "What's wrong?"

Loki swallowed and raised his head haughtily. "I am leaving. I have no further use for Asgard. Odin chose the wrong son-you are not fit to rule." _Don't look at his eyes-they will break your heart-don't look at his eyes, _Loki thought to himself. "I have chosen to leave this accursed place. Perhaps when you have run it into the ground, you will seek me out."

He turned back toward the tower, leaving Thor dumbfounded on the Bifrost, and proceeded up the dais to Heimdall, who stood at the ready with his sword.

Heimdall leaned over to Loki and whispered, "I know why you did that. He would have understood."

Loki looked straight ahead, not saying a word or even acknowledging the comforting words. He knew if he did, he would break. Heimdall shrugged and inserted his sword into the dais, turning it to open the portal to Midgard. Loki chanced one last glance back at Thor, who watched him like a wounded dog, and in that instant, Loki felt his heart shatter.

He stepped through the portal without a word or another look back.


	4. Midgard

There was a soft _thud _as Loki landed in the dirt, sending a plume out around him. As the dust settled, he looked up to the stars in the cloudless night, immediately picking out the direction of his former home. He knew Heimdall would keep an eye on him, no matter what Odin said, and there was a certain comfort in that, but he also knew he was on his own now.

Glancing down, he muttered a silent oath as he took in his regalia armor and robes. Those would not do. Closing his eyes, he willed his appearance to change, thankful that no one was out in the middle of nowhere to see him. There was a shimmer and his clothes changed. Now he was in a suit-dark, of course-with comfortable and stylish shoes. He had a feeling there was a fair amount of walking in his immediate future. He opened his eyes and looked down, taking it in and buttoning his new coat. _Yes, _he thought, _this will do nicely. _

He looked back to the stars, then to the horizon, looking for lights and signs of civilization. When he saw the glow of city lights off in the distance, he started off in that direction with a sense of purpose, though he was not entirely sure what that purpose was. He knew he would have to find shelter, above all else, and then he could decide what to do next.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, he started having a conversation with himself to pass the time and stave off the silence of the desert.

"Why don't we just teleport into the city?"

"Because we're trying to keep a low profile for now."

"But...why? Aren't you a _god_?"

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I need to blink into existence with no plan of action. These humans may be idiots, but idiots can make rash decisions if they're scared-and I don't want to scare them just yet."

"Coward."

Loki did not have a response to that cutting remark, not from his own mind. He _did _feel like a coward. He had tried to stand up to Odin, and Odin had banished him in response. Then, rather than tell Thor what had happened, he had pushed his brother _(he's not your brother) _away and snapped at him. He knew his words at hurt Thor-that had been the point at the moment-and now he regretted that.

He muttered to himself, "I should have freed Laufey," before he really thought about it, and then the thought sunk in. He quickly ran through scenarios in his head, and a smile slowly spread across his face. All he had to do was find a way to get back to Asgard, and he could set this plan in motion.

By this time, he had approached the outskirts of the nearest town, and the neon lights over a cheap motel screamed at him that there was, in fact, a vacancy-shockingly. Loki rolled his eyes and sighed-there was nothing better on this end of town, and he needed a place for the night-and walked up to the front window.

"I need a room." He announced through the plate-glass.

The woman inside barely glanced up at him at first, but when she registered the nice suit, she did a double take and took him in completely, her jaw dropping slightly. She blinked hard, still not speaking, and pushed a registration card through the window's opening at him, with a pen.

Loki looked down at the piece of paper she had shoved at him, reading it over and assuming this was what was required to obtain a room at the inn, and filled it in. He had been to Midgard before, with Thor, so he was not _entirely _unfamiliar with the concept of "keeping a low profile", so he nonchalantly handed the slip of paper back through the slot in the window and smilingly asked the woman, "How much for three nights?"

She didn't speak at first, glanced at the paper, and then back at Loki. "Laufeyson? Where are you from, anyway?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Loki reached into his pocket, grateful that Frigga had taught him how to conjure in secret, and produced a huge roll of money. He started slowly flicking $100 bills open, staring at the woman, whose eyes widened with each bill proffered.

"I would prefer to not have to answer any prying questions during my stay here, if possible," Loki said charmingly. The lady nodded, licking her lips as her greedy eyes never left the money. Loki pulled free $1,000 and pushed it through the window slot.

"For three days," he reminded her, and she nodded again, taking the money and marking a 3 on his registration form. She reached up and grabbed a key from the wall, and handed it to him through the slot.

"Room 17, on the far end. It's the biggest we have-and the nicest. Right by the vending machines. Just dial 0 on the phone if you need anything, Mr. Laufeyson." She stumbled over her words, and Loki smiled at her, taking the key. This was going to be easier than he thought.

Loki walked down the corridor to his motel room, found the correct number on the door, and unlocked it. He was immediately met with the musty smell of disuse. He coughed lightly and cleared his throat. Stepping into the room, he opened the two windows wide to get some fresh air, and settled in to fiddle with the contraption under the window, to see if he could get it to blow anything but that ghastly recirculated air at him.

After a few minutes, he had it sorted, and took in the room as a whole. It was simply furnished, which is what he preferred, with a bed and a chair and what looked like a television nestled inside a wardrobe, and the color scheme was tolerable, if a little light and pastel-y for him. He would only need it for a couple of days, anyway.

Loki sat down on the bedspread, sighing heavily as he put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, the full weight of what had happened finally crashing down on him. He was far from helpless here, but he had truly lost everything. The throne, his mother, his brother, everything. And Laufey… the father he never knew he had, right there under his feet his entire life, held by Odin. It all came crashing in on him and he drew a shuddering breath, willing himself to hold it together.

He leaned back, lying down on the bed and staring at the cheap ceiling, trying to both imagine what his family was doing at that moment and forget about them at the same time, and found that his brain could not compartmentalize that hard. He put his hands back up to his head and wept silently.


	5. Desdemona

The God of Mischief looked out his window at the falling rain, reminiscing for a moment about better times in storms with his brother.

_He's not your real brother, _the thought came unbidden to his mind. He pushed it away angrily. Thor may not be his brother by blood, but he was definitely Loki's brother through trials and tribulations. They had fought and won battles together, fought between themselves over petty nonsense growing up, and had each other's back in far too many tight situations to count. They were brothers.

Having settled that dilemma for the moment in his own head, Loki took a moment longer to listen to the sound of distant thunder and wistfully hoped against hope that it meant the coming of his brother to claim him. He knew better, though. He had spurned Thor's attempts at comfort the last time he saw him, shunning his brother and disappearing into the night. Loki had replayed that last interaction a million times in his head, wishing he had reached out instead of pushing Thor aside.

Sighing heavily, Loki stood from the chair by the window of his motel room and prepared to brave the mild storm. If he was going to set his plan of conquest into motion, he would need to act. Sitting here brooding was getting him nowhere, and he had already lost a day to self pity. More than anything, he mourned the loss of his mother, Frigga. She always knew what to say to him when his mood turned. She could always pull him out of these dark times, like no other. Where Thor's words would grate on him with his bubbly optimism, Frigga knew how to listen.

He would see her again, and return a hero. A _conquering _hero. They would all see what Loki Laufeyson was made of, then. Even Odin would have to acknowledge him-if not as an equal, at least as a potential heir. And maybe he could convince Odin to release Laufey to return to Jotunheim. After all, the war was long since over-it only made sense in the young man's head that the rightful king should sit on the throne there.

Loki dressed in his suit, noting that it was feeling much more appropriate than it had the previous day. He looked in the mirror on the wall, adjusting here and primping there, recalling how Thor would always give him grief for wanting to look his best, before leaving the room.

Walking out in the rain, he conjured a small bubble around himself to keep dry and walked down the street toward town. Most of the people he passed did not give him a second glance, and those who did quickly looked away once he favored them with a withering, haughty look. These humans were so susceptible to the slightest unspoken command, this was going to be easier than he thought.

He marched into the first large establishment he came to-a bank-and noticed with annoyance the long line before him. He rolled his eyes and took his place in line. He knew he would need legitimate currency if he was going to conquer and rule an empire here, not just the conjured money that would vanish after a few days, so this seemed a logical first step. He had already worked out how he was going to go about it. While his conjured money was no good in this world in the long-term, his other tricks would work nicely.

While he stood in line, he scanned the other patrons, taking note of their demeanor and attitudes. One in particular stood out to him. A young woman, in her early adulthood, stood in front of him, looking just as impatient as he felt. She was soaked through, her auburn hair hung lank around her shoulders and down her back, and when she turned to glance at him, he saw that her makeup had run in the rain. She sighed heavily at the long line ahead of her and started tapping her foot.

"Excuse me," he said in what he felt was his most polite tone. She ignored him at first, so he tapped her on the shoulder to gain her attention.

She turned back to him again, glaring. "What?" she asked in a clipped tone. She reminded him of Sif, in a way. Loki tried to smile charmingly. The young woman's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I was just wondering if this was the place where one would procure a new loan for, say, a business? I'm new to the area and am trying to find the best way to invest some of my funds." Loki gave her his best winning smile.

The young woman rolled her eyes and turned back around, muttering something about the nutters in the town. Loki frowned. That didn't go the way he'd planned. There was something about this woman that drew him, he was perplexed by her. Usually his charming nature worked on Midgardian women. He tapped her on the shoulder again.

"Look, Mister. If you don't leave me alone, I'll-"

"I'm terribly sorry." Loki interrupted her. "That was incredibly rude of me. The truth is, I'm _very _new here, and a little bit lost. I was hoping I might enlist your help in my attempts to navigate the bank here. I'm from out of the country, and I'm not sure how banking works around here." He gave her a genuine, sheepish smile.

The woman's face softened a little at that, and she smiled back. "I understand. I've only been here a few months myself. I'm from out of town-not as bad as out of the country, but still. What do you want to set up? A regular account? A savings? A retirement account?"

"I was hoping to set up a standard account, one I could utilize to pull money from as I need and deposit when I need. What would that be?" Loki asked.

"A checking account. Here, come with me. What's your name?"

"Loki. Loki Laufeyson. And yours?"

"Desdemona Marshall. Everyone calls me Des, though. So, Loki," she continued, leading him over to one of the desks, "where are you from?"

"Scandinavia, originally, but I did some work in London for a while. This is my first time in the US." He responded, grateful that he had come up with a backstory while in the motel.

Des sized him up while they sat and waited for a banker to arrive. "Well, your eyes are definitely blue enough to be Scandinavian. What brings you here stateside?"

"Work, mostly. I'm preparing a big takeover back home, and I needed some resources that I can only really procure here, so," he gestured grandly, "here I am."

The banker arrived and sat down across from them. "Hello, Des, how are you doing today?" He asked solicitously. Loki arched an eyebrow. Clearly this young woman was well-known around here.

"I'm good, Sam. This is my friend, Loki Laufeyson. He needs to open a checking account. Think you can help him out? And maybe give me the referral?" She smiled sweetly.

"Of course! And may I just say, Des, that runny makeup is a good look for you." Sam joked.

Des gave him a rude gesture but laughed. Sam turned his attention to Loki.

"I'm just going to need two pieces of identification, and a $100 deposit, in either cash or a cashier's check."

Loki, once again grateful for Frigga's teaching in sleight-of-hand, pulled out a passport and driver's license, and his money clip, once again full of $100 bills. Des' eyes grew wide at the sight of it, and she whistled low.

"No wonder you needed an account. No one should be walking around with that kind of cash on him, man." She leaned over and whispered.

Sam tried not to look at the money, but even he found it difficult not to stare. "And how much would you like to deposit today, Mr. Laufeyson?"

"All of it." Loki said, matter of factly. "There's $2,100 here. Will that be enough?"

"More than enough, sir. Just fill out this card, and I'll take everything back to the computer. It'll be ready shortly. I'll have your debit card out to you momentarily." Sam assured him.

Loki nodded, filling out the new account form and deposit slip, and Sam took it and the cash back to the back. Des sat quietly in the seat next to him, glancing down at the address he put on the card. She recognized it as the motel just outside of town.

"Hey…" she said quietly. "I know it's none of my business, but why are you staying _there _when you have so much money?"

Loki bit back a remark about how it truly was none of her business and instead sighed heavily. "I wasn't sure where else to stay, to be honest," he replied in a low voice. "I don't really know the area all that well, and my...transportation...dropped me off outside of town."

Des snorted. "Well, that was rude of them. Tell you what," she said in a normal voice, sitting up a little straighter in the seat, "when you're done here, why don't you come with me? I'll set you up at the hotel I work at. It's a much nicer place, and they don't mind long-term guests. I can get you a discount, too...not that you need it." She chuckled.

Loki beamed. "That would be fantastic," he responded. "Truthfully, I was getting a little tired of the musty smell of the desert in the rain."

Des laughed into her hand, then cleared her throat as Sam came back to the desk. He was smiling.

"All right, Mr. Laufeyson. Everything seems to be in order. Your checkbook is right here, and the account number is down at the bottom." He handed over a box of checks to Loki, who took them and pretended he had any idea what Sam had just said. Then Sam produced a small piece of plastic. "Here is your debit card. If you could just slide it through the card reader here on the desk and set your PIN, you'll be all set. It's already activated, so you can use it any time you like."

Loki looked confused for a moment, and Des leaned over. "Swipe the card down the slot, and enter a four-digit code you'll remember," she whispered.

Loki nodded slightly and did as she said, then followed the instructions on the screen to enter the PIN a second time. Once he had done that, Sam beamed even wider.

"Well, Mr. Laufeyson, you're all set! Welcome to the Third National Bank, we are very pleased to have you as a client. If you have any questions, here is my card. Call me if you need anything, I'll be more than happy to assist you in any way."

Loki inclined his head, and he and Des stood. She shook Sam's hand and then Loki did the same. It felt so odd to mimic these humans, and he felt dirty acting like one of them, but he knew the minutiae of activity was important until he was ready for his plan. Following Des out of the bank, he conjured a bubble around them without thinking, to keep the rain off of them.

Des took only an instant to notice the change. She stopped cold on the sidewalk and looked up, seeing the rain fall but then drip _around _them instead of dropping onto their heads. She turned to Loki and her jaw dropped in surprise.

Loki looked back, his eyes wide, and his face flushed. He hadn't been thinking! Now what was he supposed to do? He could just lie to her and say he had no idea what was going on, but for some reason he felt like this person might be an ally he wanted to keep, and he should try to keep as honest as possible-for him.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you, really?"

"What do you mean?" Loki tried to hedge. Maybe he could get away with playing on her ignorance, if he just answered questions with more questions.

Des' finger went up, indicating the blank air, devoid of rain. She didn't say a word, but her pointed look spoke volumes. Then she glanced around and realized that no one was looking at them, stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, with no rain falling on them.

"_What _are you?" she asked, and her tone demanded a solid answer.

Loki stood silently for a moment, pursing his lips in frustration. He wasn't ready to share anything yet, and he barely knew this human. True, she may turn out to be useful, but he could hardly know that this soon.

"That's my business, Des," he said haughtily, hoping his tone brooked no argument.

"Bull. There is _no rain falling on us. _Why?" She demanded.

Loki rolled his eyes, realizing that he wasn't getting out of this so easily. He sighed heavily.

"Where can we go that's private?" He asked resignedly.

Des sized him up, decided he wasn't that much of a threat, and responded, "My place. Come on."

Loki gestured, "Lead the way."


	6. Revelations

Des led the way through the rain, casting suspicious glances back at Loki in their bubble of dryness as they went. She was trying to make sense of this strange being, this dark-haired, blue-eyed creature with whom she had allied herself suddenly. _Why do I always find the weirdos? _She asked herself silently as they walked along. It wasn't like this this wasn't already a pattern in her life. Her brother was a drug addict for whom she had covered multiple times in a variety of situations; her ex-boyfriend (the only one she'd ever had, in high school) was a thief and a Class A Weirdo, with everything from sending her love notes with stolen poetry (how was she, a literature buff, supposed to _not _recognize Shakespeare's Sonnet 130?!) to stealing the Jaguar off the front of her own dad's car to gift to her as a necklace. Yep, Billy was a weirdo. And now _this _guy could somehow make rain not fall on her?! Great. Just great. Still...there was something beguiling about him, something charming and disarming at the same time.

For Loki's part, he spent the walk in a turmoil of thought. He was trying to figure out how he was going to explain the rain trick, beating himself up for the automatic response to the falling rain in the first place, and wondering if he should just wipe Desdemona's memory of him entirely. After all, she had served her purpose, hadn't she? She had gotten him the bank account, surely she would be of no further use. He chided himself for not simply wiping her mind as soon as they left the bank and walking away on his own. What had kept him with her? Thor's face suddenly swam before his eyes, and he pushed the thought away. True, he was lonely here, but no Midgardian could satiate his need for companionship, especially not a woman. He had no use for women; he wasn't like Thor. He didn't crave their affection.

When Des stopped before a tall brick building, Loki snapped back to the moment and looked up. It looked to be a standard human dwelling-an apartment building-with many windows on the face. The brick was old but sturdy. The door that Des walked up to was wrought iron with intricate patterns. They looked somewhat familiar, but Loki couldn't place them right away. Then he caught sight of the iron symbols nailed over the door, designed to look ornamental, but his eyes were keen-and old. They were runes of protection.

"Who put those up?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Des looked up at the runes and shrugged. "The landlady. She's Scandinavian, too. From Norway, I think. She says they'll keep us safe. She's a little batty, don't pay her any mind."

Loki's eyes narrowed at the runes and then at the building as a whole as he took it in again. Looking with his Sight, a talent Frigga had taught him, he could see the whole thing encased in such runes, and it glowed. That "landlady" (whatever that meant) was no mere housemaiden. She was a shaman. Loki would have to tread carefully, lest his true nature be discovered before he was ready. It was one thing to tell Des who he really was (when had he decided to disclose _that _to her?!), and quite another to have the whole world finding out about him.

Des unlocked the door and motioned for Loki to follow her. He did so cautiously and quietly. If there was a shaman here, he needed to keep his guard up as long as possible. Des led him up the stairs to a door marked with a 7, and unlocked it. Loki took note of the rune over the door. It was marked with Frigga's rune, his mother's. He felt a pang of homesickness for her and tamped it down as quickly as it rose up.

As they entered the apartment, Des turned on some lights and Loki was met with a most intriguing sight. The apartment was furnished in the most eclectic colors, all reds and oranges and browns, with a very comfortable looking, dark gray sofa in the middle of the sitting room, tables set all around, and a small kitchen off to one side, painted bright yellow. In the back of the apartment was a dais that served as a bedroom, where Des had placed a canopy bed with draping gossamer silk of white and brown. The stark contrast was stunning.

Loki stood in the doorway, unsure what to do in this space, as Des busied herself around the apartment, putting her things away and setting a kettle on the stove with some water. She turned and saw him standing there, and smiled a little, hiding it behind her hand.

"Come in. I'm not going to bite. Sit down on the couch, or on the bed. They're really the only comfortable places." She said calmly.

In the time it had taken them to arrive at the apartment, Des had come to a conclusion about her visitor. He was either an alien, in which case she would simply thank him for visiting the planet and politely ask him to leave, or he was a witch, in which case she would probably prod him for information about how to get her ex to finally leave her alone. Either way, he was very handsome, and that was what she was focused on right now.

Loki moved stiffly to the sofa and sat down, relaxing a little as he breathed in and smelled the scent of sage. Someone had done a cleansing recently here. That was a reassuring smell to him, having smelled it often in the halls of the palace whenever Frigga and he would work their magick. By the Allfather, he missed her terribly. She would know what to do right now. What to do about Laufey, what was to be done about Jotunheim. Loki felt so very lost at the moment.

"I'm just going to get changed," Des called from the kitchen, and she moved to the bedroom area behind Loki. "Your bubble may have kept it from getting _worse_, but I'm still soaked."

Loki just nodded, still lost in his thoughts. Des exhaled in exasperation. Usually that line was like a beacon to men, but this one didn't seem to catch the hint. _I'll just have to stop being subtle, _she thought. She took off her top and pants, changing into a negligee, and came back to sit beside him on the sofa, leaning into him.

Loki jumped up at her touch, looking down at her with an expression of utter surprise mixed with first disgust, then admiration, then confusion, then understanding, and finally his eyes slid shut and his hand went to his face as it flushed slightly.

"Des… I am sorry. I didn't mean to react like that. I'm not… that is, I don't…" he stammered, unable to find the right words and growing frustrated. Why did it matter whether or not he hurt this human's feelings?! _Just tell her you're not interested, you dolt! _His inner voice shouted at him, but he was unable to do so. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. She had been nothing but kind to him, the first person in a very long time that had been… honest with him. And that meant so much right now.

Des grabbed the throw blanket from over the back of the sofa and covered herself. "Are you gay?" She asked pointblank.

"Not exactly," Loki answered, his face still covered. Des could see that he was still flushed under his hands. She stood, wrapping the blanket around herself, and went to him, pulling his hands away from his face and looking up into his eyes. There were tears there.

"Come sit down with me and explain it," she requested, not unkindly. "I want to listen, to understand." She took his hand and led him back to the sofa, sitting down next to him but with a little space between them, and peered into his face, still holding his hand.

Loki took a moment to begin. When he did, his words were quiet, almost ashamed. "Let me start by telling you who-what-I am, and what I am not. I'm not human, Des. I come from a place called Jotunheim, and I was raised in another place called Asgard. I was a prince there. The man I thought was my father imprisoned my real father as part of a peace treaty, and got me in the bargain, as an infant. When I found out about it, I confronted my adopted father about it, and he banished me… here."

"I had a brother there. _He _was the one who was interested in the carousing, the loving. I was more interested in my studies-in magick. And I was damn good at it! But I never really developed any attraction to anyone. I had my mother, I had my books, I had my daggers, and I had my magick. That was all I needed in life. I saw no need for romantic entanglements. Honestly, I still don't."

Des sat for a long moment in silence, processing all of this, before smiling. "We have a word for that here, Loki. I don't know if you do on Asgard, but here we call that asexual, or ace. It's not nearly as rare as you might think. And," she reached up and turned his face toward hers so she could look into his eyes, "it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Loki grinned hugely at her in relief. Somehow, for some reason, having Des not be angry with his rejection of her meant the world to him. He may not have wanted a romantic partner, but a _friend-_now there is something he could definitely use right now.

"So, let me ask you," Des questioned after a moment.

"Yes? Anything."

"What do you plan to do about your banishment?"

Loki looked at Des for a second, weighing how much to tell her. He realized he needed a companion, a true one. He could trust her with his plan-he had to trust _someone. _And he could utilize her.

"I'm going to find a way back to Asgard and release Laufey, my true father. Odin raised me to rule, and then he chose Thor for Asgard. So I _will rule. _I will rule Jotunheim-my own, true, birthright kingdom. Whether or not I continue to rule it in peace with Asgard is up to Thor and Odin." Loki said with a grin that chilled Des' heart.


	7. New Sights

Loki sauntered through the lobby of the hotel, following behind Des. He pretended to be oblivious to the stares, but he was keenly aware of the looks he was receiving, as well as the whispers. His spellcrafting allowed him to hear clearly what was being said.

"Do you see him?" 

"He's so handsome!"

"Is he some sort of celebrity?"

"He looks so intimidating!"

"I don't know why… but I want him."

That last one made him almost miss a step, and he had to hide a smirk as he strutted across the marble floor to the registration counter. Des took her place behind the counter and logged into the computer, then handed him a registration card.

"Here you go, Mr. Laufeyson," she said in a cool, professional tone as the manager walked over.

"Is there anything I can assist you with, sir?" the manager asked solicitously, smiling up at him. Loki favored her with a cold glance before returning his attention to the registration card.

"I've got this one, Melissa," Des turned to the manager, giving her what could almost pass for a smile-or just baring her teeth.

Melissa put up her hands and walked away, but not before turning around to get one last look at the tall, statuesque man at the counter with the icy blue eyes. Des leaned over the counter after Melissa was gone back into the office and out of earshot.

"Don't worry, Loki. I've got you covered," she whispered.

Loki smiled but said nothing. He presented the completed registration card and Des took it, entering the information into the computer.

"Do you have a credit card by any chance, or are you cash only?" she asked.

Loki reached into his pocket and took out a conjured wallet. He presented an illusion of a credit card and the same I.D. he had presented at the bank earlier. Des took them and glanced at the credit card, her eyes widening.

"Loki," she whispered. "Did… did you get this with magick?"

Loki looked around before nodding. "It will work, however. For whatever you need."

Des hesitated. "Isn't that like stealing?" she hissed.

Loki smirked. "Trust me. Its currency is valid, and the payment will be valid. Just do what you need to do with it, and I will put it away." He said haughtily.

Des stood back up and cleared her throat. "Okay. Fine. How many nights would you like to reserve a room for, Mr. Laufeyson?" She asked, a little too loudly.

Loki could feel all eyes in the room on him, waiting for his response. He glared at Des, knowing she raised her voice for that very reason. "A minimum of ten, with an option to renew." He replied quietly through clenched teeth.

Des smiled sweetly as the buzz of conversation started back up excitedly in the lobby, and asked more quietly, "Would you like a standard room, or an upgrade?"

"What is the highest room you have?" Loki asked back, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

Des flushed in frustration. She was still unsure about this credit card of his, or what it would do to her (or her job's) reputation if she ran it. If she ran it for their _penthouse, _she could be fired… but that's what he was requesting, and the rule was if someone requested it, they got it.

"That would be the penthouse suite. Two bedrooms, full kitchen, dining room, living area, and en suite bathroom with jetted tub. It's $1,500 a night, $2,200 on Friday and Saturday."

Loki grinned at her sardonically. "Fantastic. Book it for me, would you? Just put it on that card."

"Of course, Mr. Laufeyson. One moment." Des said resignedly, and she entered the data into the computer before swiping the card. Naturally, the charge went through just fine, and Loki was smiling smugly at her. _If he was wearing suspenders, he'd have his thumbs hooked in them, _she thought.

They finished the transaction, and Des furnished him with the proper keys and codes to access the penthouse from the elevator. Before she could go back to work, Loki reached across the counter and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Desdemona." He whispered seriously, looking at her intently. She looked up at him, her lips pursed in frustration and anger. "I apologize. I did not mean to offend. Will you come up and see me later? Please?"

Des looked away for a moment, then back up at Loki's eyes. They certainly _looked _sincere. She nodded. "I am off in about 4 hours. I'll come up and see you then. Do _try _to stay out of trouble until then, eh?" She cocked her head to the side and punched him in the shoulder playfully. When he smiled in return, she caught sight of what he must have looked like as a small child-happy and encouraged-and it warmed her heart. Whatever was going on with him, whatever his background was, there was a sweet kid in there.

Taking the elevator, Loki found his way up to the top floor. The doors opened onto a hallway with only two doors-the two penthouse suites. He put his key into the door of his suite and was greeted with a sight that most people would consider opulent, but to Loki it seemed understated.

The furniture was mostly dark colored and included a sofa and two chairs in the living room, along with an empty bookshelf, large entertainment center with what he assumed was entertainment equipment and a large flat-screen television, and a black lacquered coffee table in the middle of the room. He cocked an eyebrow as his eyes fell on the tiger-print rug under it.

As he walked in and closed the door, he took inventory of the other rooms. Off to his left was one of the bedrooms, fairly standard with a queen-sized bed and typical hotel trappings of artwork and nightstands and lamps. Unimpressive. He moved on to the dining room, done up in some kind of safari motif, the dark colors from the living room carried over here, with a dark wood table and seating for… 8.

Loki wandered listlessly around the room, running his long fingers over the backs of the chairs and sighing. His thoughts drifted momentarily back to better times, back on Asgard, meals with Frigga and Thor, when they were children. Odin had rarely had time for such mundane family affairs-he was always too busy with state business-but Frigga had always felt that it was important that the boys grew up in some semblance of normalcy, and she fought for that, even in the palace's halls.

The God of Mischief shook his head to dispel the thoughts. He couldn't afford to be distracted. He needed to stay focused. He had four hours before Desdemona would come up to see him. He wasn't sure what use she would serve just yet, but he knew she would be useful. She had already proven to be a trustworthy ally here; she could prove to be one back home, as well.

Loki went to the sofa and sat down, reaching into his coat and grasping the small stone that resided there, always. No one knew he had stolen it away, and no one would know-not until it was too late. Pulling it out, he gazed at its luminescence. It glowed brightly in the room, lighting it up as the sun set in the window behind him. Loki found himself hypnotized by the whispers he heard coming from the stone. They seemed to call to him and he felt that, if he just listened a little harder, he could make out what they had to say… the secrets they had to impart.

Loki was so entranced by the stone glowing in his hand that he failed to notice the tug at the edge of his awareness, where Heimdall tapped into his vision and saw through his eyes. What the Watcher saw chilled him to the bone-Loki had stolen an Infinity Stone and taken it to Midgard-and Heimdall quickly took his sword and began his trek across the bifrost toward the palace to warn Frigga.

Normally, he would have warned Odin himself, but Frigga had come to him days ago and given him specific orders about her favored son.

_"If you should happen to find Loki," she had said as she wove her influential spells on Heimdall, "I want you to come to me immediately-even before Odin-and tell me what you see. Look in on him, Heimdall, and tell only me what you find out."_

So now, off he ran to tell the queen what he had observed, with his stoic heart in his throat with fear. If one of the Infinity Stones was on Midgard, there was no telling what Loki was planning… or who he was planning it with.


	8. A Queen's Secret

Heimdall raced up the steps of the palace. He knew where the queen would be, and took care to find her alone in her chambers.

"Your majesty." He intoned, kneeling when he entered.

She rose from her gilded seat, a look of hope in her eyes. "Did you find him?" she whispered expectantly.

Heimdall nodded. "I did indeed, your majesty. And I have grave news. He carries with him one of the Stones. I saw it myself-it was blue. I believe he has taken the Tesseract and extracted the Space Stone from it, and-"

Frigga held up her hand to silence him. "Thank you, Heimdall. That will be all."

Heimdall looked affronted at first, but Frigga moved to stand close to him and whispered in his ear, spinning her spell to undo the earlier one.

_"You will return to the Bifrost, and have no recollection of my earlier request. You will continue your guardianship of Asgard as always, and keep us safe as you always have, with no memory of this meeting or of finding Loki-or the Space Stone." _

Heimdall nodded silently and retreated from Frigga's chambers to return to his post.

The queen returned to her seat at her vanity, looked in the mirror for a moment, and was shocked by how pale she appeared. Normally she could hide her fear much better than this. She chided herself on letting her emotions show on her face, and thanked her luck that Odin was in state meetings all morning and hadn't come to see her yet-he would be able to tell just from her face what was wrong.

Odin… she would have to tell him _something, _but what? He was sure to notice the Tesseract was missing at some point, and then what? Wage war on every other Realm until he found it again? _When the Midgardians asked Thor to keep it safe here, they hadn't planned on Loki, that's for certain, _she thought ruefully.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her mirror shimmered and an image of Loki appeared before her. She looked around her chambers to be sure she was alone. No one in Asgard but Heimdall knew she also possessed the Sight, and he knew it was only fleeting for her, only coming in times of very strong emotion-like now.

She watched her beloved son sitting on a sofa on Midgard, staring at the little blue stone that would surely mean his undoing. Her heart broke as she knew without question that Odin would kill his son in a second to retrieve that relic. It meant more to him than Loki, of that much she was sure. The image grew brighter as she watched him sit there entranced by the glowing stone, and she wanted to call out to him, to reach him, to tell him not to do whatever he had planned as revenge on the father that raised him.

But she could not. Her Sight was not as strong as Heimdall's-she couldn't reach others with it, only see-and this was the most painful image she had ever watched in her long life. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, watched as they obscured the image before her, and then felt them slowly trickle down her face. She knew she already mourned her son. For while Thor was the son she had birthed, Loki was the son she chose. The one she raised as _her son. _The one Odin could never take away from her-until now.

"What are you staring at so intently, my love?" came the last voice she wanted to hear at that moment, and Frigga had to steel every nerve to keep from jumping.

She turned to face Odin, the image in the mirror fading and disappearing. She smiled sweetly at him, ignoring the tears on her face rather than calling attention to them by wiping them away.

"Nothing, my dearest. Just… looking at a few new wrinkles around my eyes." She took this opportunity to surreptitiously wipe her eyes by pretending to indicate her 'wrinkles'. Odin stared at her for a moment in silence, then glanced at the mirror. He caught the last vestiges of Loki's image in the glass, and his expression hardened.

"Frigga, what is this?!" he bellowed angrily, pointing at the disappearing image.

Frigga swallowed hard, calming herself. "It's nothing, Odin. I was simply looking in on him. You cannot expect me to not care, after all these years, what happens to my son-"

Odin cut her off. "I most certainly can, and _do, _expect you to obey my edicts! Loki Laufeyson is no member of this family, and will not be treated as such, by any of us. _That includes you._" He moved to Frigga and put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her, and she turned her face away to hide her renewed tears. "I know you loved him, my dear. You may mourn him, as you would any of our dead, but to us… he must be dead. He has betrayed me, and the crown, and our people. He is not to be trusted.

"I had such high hopes for him, too," Odin continued, looking toward the mirror which now showed only their own smoky reflection. "I was going to place him on Laufey's throne, to rule alongside Thor and bring both Asgard and Jotunheim together."

Frigga wiped her tears away and put on a mask of serenity for Odin. She knew in her heart that she would love her son-_her _son-no matter what he told her to do or not do, but in these chambers, right now, she had to play the part.

"Of course, my love," she consoled. "Loki was not worthy to rule. He was impetuous and impulsive. He was not fit to sit atop a throne." The words turned her mouth to ash and tore at her heart, for she knew they weren't true, but she knew it was what Odin wanted to hear.

"Loki might have been ready to rule, Frigga, if you had not so hastily told him about Laufey," Odin looked at her sideways with his one good eye. He could almost always see through her tricks. "I thought of him as my son, too-once-but no more. He is an abomination, and I hope they tear him to shreds down there on Midgard."

"So you knew where he was all this time?!" Frigga's voice rose in indignation as she pulled from Odin's embrace.

Odin simply nodded placidly.

"And you never thought to ease my suffering by telling me?"

"If I had told you," Odin asked, "would it have eased your suffering, or would you have only meddled sooner?" He pointed to the mirror as evidence of her guilt.

Frigga willed herself not to flush with embarrassment at being caught out. If he only knew how far her plots went to help her son… That was no matter at this point. She would not stray from her course, no matter what. Odin had set it, and Frigga would see it through, along with her son. She walked toward the door, speaking over her shoulder to him.

"Just remember, Odin," she admonished him, "a mother's love knows no bounds."


	9. A God Adapts

Loki rolled over and glowered at the sunlight streaming in through the window. He had a headache again. These headaches were getting tedious, but what really bothered him was what he knew they signified. Someone was trying to reach him. He stood up slowly, holding his head and groaning in pain. Closing the curtains in the bedroom, he crossed to the vanity in the bathroom and lit the single candle he had bought for this purpose, placing it on the counter. He stared at his reflection in the mirror until it started to shimmer. Frigga had taught him well.

As if the thought of her had summoned her, she appeared before him. She was in her dressing gown, in her chamber. The look of distress on her face clenched his heart before he could harden it, and his expression turned to one of worry.

"Mother?" he asked, knowing their link would allow her to hear him.

"My son," she replied, her own face relaxing into one of relief. "I have been trying to call to you for days. You must be warned-Odin is on a warpath where you are concerned. You must not return to Asgard unless and until you are prepared to face him head on. Do not imagine that your tricks will work on him, Loki. He is livid still with you."

Loki nearly shook with anger for just a moment before regaining control. His face was cool as he regarded Frigga. "I will return to Asgard as a hero, Mother, and I will show Odin that he chose the wrong son to rule in his succession."

Frigga's face softened even further. "Oh, Loki… Do you not understand? It was always Odin's wish that Thor should rule Asgard, and _you _should rule Jotunheim. As brothers, you would continue the peace treaty he and Laufey had put in place."

Now it was Loki's turn to be absolutely livid. "So I was meant to be nothing but a political pawn, placed on a worthless throne as a trophy for Odin to look upon in his dotage?!"

There was a knock on the outer door to the suite. Loki let out a curse under his breath and Frigga raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. Loki flushed with embarrassment before clearing his throat. "I must go. I give you my word, I will not return until I am prepared to face him. Thank you, Mother, for your advice and candor. I know it couldn't have been easy."

Frigga smiled softly at her son, placing her hand on the mirror as if caressing his face from her end. "I love you, my son. Never forget that."

Loki nodded and blew out the candle. The image of his mother shimmered and faded away, leaving only his own pale, bedraggled image staring back at him. He ran his fingers through his long, black hair to straighten it out, pulled his robe more tightly around himself, and went to answer the knocks.

Desdemona stood outside in the hall, a tray in her hand.

"I thought you might be hungry. You've barely eaten in the past couple of days," she said as she breezed past him and into the suite. She put the tray down on the dining table and went to the living area, sitting down on the sofa. Loki took a look at the tray-cheese, grapes, some kind of porridge, juice, and what smelled like the drink Thor tried to get him to drink one time… 'coffee', was it called?-and dismissed it almost out of hand. He did grab a few of the grapes and came to sit down beside Des, who was staring at the Stone, glowing and hovering a few inches above the coffee table.

"What is _that_?!" she asked, fascinated by it. She reached out to touch it and Loki snatched it up, deftly moving it to a pocket.

"_That,_" he replied, "is part of my plan to go home. But I seem to have run into… a bit of a snag. It might take me longer than I had anticipated."

Des shrugged her shoulders. "Stay here as long as you need. Your money is good here, and the management loves you. You're a quiet guest, and you don't make a mess. We're used to this suite being trashed by the bands that come through here." She grabbed one of the grapes he had set on the coffee table and popped it in her mouth.

Loki watched her for a moment. There was something about her that fascinated him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He wasn't attracted to her-he honestly didn't have time for attachments like that, even if he _was _attracted-but she interested him nonetheless. He enjoyed her company, the same way he used to enjoy Thor's company. She was familiar to have around, safe; he could let his guard down, even just a little, around Des.

While he was pondering all of this, Des was doing some thinking of her own. She was still attracted to this man, but it had changed over the past several weeks. After learning that he wasn't sexually attracted to-well-anyone, Des' own attraction to him had become more of a protective sense. She grew more comfortable around him, which was something she wasn't used to with men, who all seemed to want the same thing, whereas Loki did not. At first it had baffled her, but now it just felt normal.

"Des, I wanted to ask you for something, and this is going to sound odd." Loki said finally after they both had been lost in their own thoughts for a few moments.

"Shoot," she replied, grabbing another grape.

"Is there a way for me to access information-like a library-near here? I need to do some research and I'm not really sure where to start. That seems like the best bet."

Des chuckled. "You're a bit old fashioned. I forget that sometimes. Tell you what. I'll do you one better. Give me one of those credit cards of yours, and I'll hook you up with a laptop and the internet. The whole of the world's information at your fingertips. Libraries can be a little out of date in their printed materials, and you don't have a car to get to one easily."

Loki nodded, understanding most of what she was saying. Asgard had a network that was accessible through terminals, with databases of information available-he assumed her internet was like that. And he'd seen people around the hotel working on laptops before, so he had a basic idea of how to use one from contextual clues.

He reached into a pocket and pulled out a card, handing it over to her. She looked down at it and her eyes grew large. 

"This has my name on it." She said bluntly.

"Well, yes. I wouldn't imagine you could use it if it had _my _name on it." He answered.

Des shook her head and handed it back to him. "I'm not sure I want any part of your magic. It seems a little… illegal to me."

"Desdemona, I assure you that every last one of these bills is paid on time, in full, with legal currency." Loki laughed. "Including yours. Don't worry, it's still my account. This card just happens to have your name."

"Well… if you're sure. But only for this one thing!" She protested weakly.

Loki nodded. "Only for this one thing."

Des took the card, turning it over in her hand. "Do I want to know how much of a credit line is on it?"

Loki looked confused. "Credit… line?"

"Yeah. How much can I spend to get you a laptop?" She looked at him.

"As much as you need. The card will not run out."

Des' look turned flat. "Why am I not surprised?" she muttered as she stood up. She sighed. "All right. One laptop with internet access, coming up. And if I find out that you're spending all your time playing games on it instead of doing what you're supposed to be doing, you're in trouble, Mister." She shook a finger at him in a motherly fashion.

It was at that moment that Loki realized something about Desdemona. She reminded him of Frigga. Not in a motherly way, specifically, but in the sense that she would look out for him-and in turn, he needed to look out for her.

"Yes, ma'am." He said, standing up and saluting her before escorting her to the door with a smile on his face. He definitely liked this Midgardian, even if the rest seemed to be monkeys and idiots.

As she walked into the hallway, Des turned and waved to Loki. "See ya later!" she called.

Loki waved back. "See you later. And you may have to teach me how to use the contraption!"

Des' expression as he closed the door was a mix of amusement and horror. Loki couldn't help but laugh.


	10. A Plan Emerges

While Loki waited for Des to return with the laptop for his research, he had time to do some more pondering.

_How am I going to confront Odin __**now? **_He thought to himself as he sat on the sofa, turning the Infinity Stone over in his hand. Its presence was comforting to him; his secret weapon should things truly go south when he _did _confront his adopted father. If all else failed, he could use it to escape, once and for all.

Loki's face fell at the prospect of never again seeing Frigga, or Thor, in triumph or otherwise, but he would do what he must. If Odin was really out for his blood at this point, he may have to use that Stone for its purpose, and run away for good. The big question was, would he do so before or after freeing his true father?

The God of Mischief smiled to himself. He would do it after. Laufey deserved to be free-no matter what else was going on at the time-and Loki would see to it that he was freed. He had served his time, and then some. Odin could hold him no longer. The peace treaty should be ended-it was a farce anyway, written by the overwhelming power of Asgard and Odin over Laufey and the Jotuns. If there was to be peace, it would be a true peace, between a true king and a true king.

_What am I thinking? I don't want to rule Jotunheim. _He thought, shaking his head to rid himself of the thought. _And Thor shouldn't be the one ruling Asgard. _

_Would you rather have it be Odin? _Another voice chimed in from the back of his mind. He shuddered at the thought. Odin _must _be deposed, no matter who ruled in his place, even if that meant his brother.

There was a _shhk _sound and the door to the suite opened, admitting Des, who carried a large bag in one hand.

"You didn't knock." Loki stated plainly.

Des stood in the doorway for a moment, the keycard still in her free hand. "I didn't even think of it," she replied. "You've been here so long, I didn't think it would be a problem…" her voice trailed off in a shrug of apology.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Loki said, shaking his head and putting his hands up as he stood from the sofa. "I only meant… it's the first time that you've not knocked." He finished lamely. He shrugged also, and sighed. "I liked it. I want you to feel comfortable here, Des. I don't really have anyone here but you. Please… come and go as you wish."

Des smiled a half smile and put the bag down, putting one arm on her hip. "Just don't touch that pretty glowing stone in your pocket, right?" she asked, sardonically.

Loki felt in his robe pocket, having been unaware of the fact that he'd moved the Infinity Stone there on hearing the door open. It was automatic. He chuckled.

"Right. No touching the Stone. But other than that, please, feel free to consider this like a second home."

The hopeful look on his face was so endearing, she couldn't possibly say no. Des put her arm down and smiled genuinely, nodding. "Okay. Thank you." She picked the bag back up again. "Now, to business! Your laptop. You'll want to charge it, but you can use it while it's charging. Let's get it out of the box and plug it in somewhere. Where do you want to set it up? Living area? Dining room?"

Loki looked around and then pointed to the desk area at the window. "I'd like to be able to look out over the mountains. They remind me of home, somehow." He said, wistfully.

Des' heart broke a little at how homesick he sounded-almost like a child-and said nothing as she unpacked the laptop and assorted accessories, setting him up on the desk. Loki's eyes grew wide as more and more things came out of the bag. First was the laptop itself, then the charging cable, then a headset, then some box that blinked with several lights when she plugged it in, then another box that she set next to the laptop. So many things just to do some research!

"Okay, so here's what we have." Des announced as she finished connecting everything. "You've got your standard Chromebook, but since that doesn't have a lot of space, I got you an external hard drive," she pointed to the extra box (not the blinking one, he noted), "where you'll have more space than you know what to do with. You can save anything you need there. Then you have a headset, for listening to anything or recording-I don't know if you want to record anything, but you can-and a router to hardwire you into our internet. We have Wi-Fi here at the hotel, but it's slower than molasses, so I just connected you into the main line. That should be fast enough for you."

Loki nodded, understanding the gist of what she was talking about. He figured he could research anything he didn't understand after she left. For some reason, he didn't want to appear ignorant in front of her. _That's just ridiculous. She could explain this better, so you understand what the hell she's talking about. _He thought to himself, but he still couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to impress her that he understood.

"Now," Des was saying, "since I'm fairly certain you don't have a Google account, I set you up with one so you can log into the laptop. All the info you need is on this piece of paper." She held it up. It had some words with weird symbols on it, and Loki just nodded again, putting his hand to his chin pensively.

Des stopped, looking at him. "You don't understand a word of this, do you?" She asked pointedly.

"What? Of course I do! That's my information for the laptop," he pointed to the paper. "That's my laptop," he pointed to the Chromebook. "And that's my drive harder." He pointed to the router.

Des snorted with laughter. "Let's take this a little slower, okay? Don't worry about it. You're not from here, I didn't expect you to get it on the first pass. Here," she motioned to the chair. "Come sit down, and I'll just walk you through it. Maybe it'll be easier if you're the one doing it yourself."

Loki took a tentative step toward the chair, then stopped. "Des…"

"What is it?" she asked, tipping her head to one side quizzically.

Loki hesitated before speaking. "I'm not used to being this… blind. Usually I'm the one with all the answers, all the tricks. I'm not used to _not knowing. _I don't know if I can do this."

Des looked at him for a long moment. "Wasn't there a time before you knew all of that? When someone had to teach you all of those answers, all of those tricks?"

Loki's heart squeezed as he thought of Frigga teaching him magic, teaching him how to use his daggers, teaching him so many secrets. He could only nod around the new lump in his throat.

"Then pretend you're back there, and I'm teaching you this. It's no different-it's just tricks and answers. Just… new ones." Des smiled sweetly at him, and he found the courage to walk over to the chair and sit down. He took a deep breath and looked at the black screen of the laptop before him.

"Just like before…" he muttered to himself, putting his hands on the keyboard. It reminded him of the terminals back on Asgard. Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all.

Three hours later, Loki was ready to toss the laptop out the window and forget the whole thing. He sat on the sofa, in a snit, as Desdemona tried hard not to laugh at the pouting God of Mischief seated with his back to her and the desk.

They had agreed to take a break after Loki had been wandering around the internet for the past hour or so. He had mastered the concept of a Google search, but was less than pleased to see that, here on Midgard, he and others from Asgard were regarded as myths. It seemed the battles fought here between Jotunheim and Asgard for control of Midgard and the other realms were long forgotten. Loki's story was completely rewritten, no doubt by Odin's hand, and his history was lost entirely.

His blood boiled as he found more and more that the _true _story of Asgard and Odin, of Jotunheim and Laufey, of Loki himself, were completely erased. No one knew. No one would ever know, unless Loki rewrote it in Odin's blood. He was sure of this one thing above all else.

"Des," he said stoically, his back still to her and his head in his hands.

"Yeah?" she asked, wondering what was going through that confused head of his.

"I have an enormous favor to ask of you. I need to fix something that was ruined a very, very long time ago. I have the means to do so, and I have every intention of fixing it so that it happens the way it should have, but I can't do it alone. I need you to come with me. I don't even know for sure if it will work-I've never tried it to this degree-but I know I can't just sit idly by any longer while this farce continues to play out. Will you help me?"

Des walked around the sofa and sat down next to him. She took his hands away from his temples and held them in her own, looking into his icy blue eyes.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"I need to return home, but not to confront my father just yet. I'm not ready for that. He would slaughter me on sight."

Des let out a light laugh, which was cut short when she saw how utterly serious Loki was. "Oh. You're not joking."

Loki shook his head. "He would. Sincerely. There is a prisoner there that I must free. Once he is freed-and he should have been centuries ago-he can help me overthrow my father's rule. We would have to rely on my tricks, and on the fact that no one would expect a Midgardian in their midst. You would be…"

" . . . a decoy." Des finished for him.

"I completely understand if you aren't comfortable with this. I shouldn't have even asked," Loki started quickly, but Des put up a hand.

"Is your father _really _that bad?" She asked, searching his face.

"I didn't think so for the longest time. I always knew he favored my brother, but it wasn't until recently that I truly understood just how depraved he really was, and just how far his reach went. No one here knows what he has done, Des, and that is wrong. No one knows of the battles we've fought, and won, for your safety. For _all _the realms' safety. No one knows the work that Asgard has put in for _literal millennia _to take care of the Nine Realms, to protect everyone in them, because of Odin. That's not right. He's been collecting things and relics and even _beings _from those realms for his own private edification, ignoring what they could be doing for each other, and… it's got to stop, Des. It just has to."

Des listened quietly, then nodded.

"When do we leave?" she asked with determination in her voice.


	11. To Jotunheim!

"Dress warm." Loki had said to Des. "_Very _warm."

She didn't quite know what that meant, but she figured he had a plan for it, so she went home and put on as many layers as she could stand. Shirt, sweater, coat, scarf, leggings, pants, and boots.

_That should be enough, _she thought. _If it's not, he's on his own. _

She filled her backpack with some food after some thought about how long they might be gone, packed a change of clothes, thought about it a moment and packed another, lighter, change of clothes, and made her way over to the hotel and up to Loki's suite.

Letting herself in, she saw that the suite looked… unlived in. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought no one had been in it for the past few weeks.

"Loki? Are you here?" Des asked into the silence.

His voice came from the bedroom. "I'm back here, Des. I will be out in a moment. Just set your things down on the sofa. And-"

"I know, I know. Don't touch the stone." She said, chuckling as she moved to do as he told her. She sat down next to her backpack, looking at the blue stone on the table, hovering above it and turning slowly. While she had grown used to some of Loki's magic, this was one thing that made her uncomfortable. It felt foreign somehow, even compared to his magic.

"So," she called to him, trying to distract herself from staring at it by looking at the nearly closed bedroom door, "how are we getting to wherever it is we're going? I imagine we're not going to walk…"

"No… not exactly," Loki called back. She saw some movement in the room and wondered just what he was up to in there. "It's difficult to explain. We'll be there very shortly. Just be prepared for a little motion sickness at first."

"Motion sickness?" Des gave up trying to not stare at the stone and stood up. She went to the bedroom door and pushed it open. "What are you-" the words died in her throat as she saw him.

Loki stood before her in his armor. Leather cloak and chest piece of black and green, with daggers slung down his chest and along his belt, and boots to his knees decked out in gold. On his head was a horned helmet of gold. He slowly took off the helmet, blushing slightly.

"I hadn't worn it in so long. It almost doesn't feel right anymore," he whispered.

Des was speechless for a moment, before going to him and adjusting a strap along his shoulder and taking the helmet, putting it back on his head. "If you're going to face a king, you need to be a conqueror, right?" She asked with all the confidence she could muster. In truth, though, seeing him like this was the first moment she realized they were probably walking into a war… one they were woefully unprepared for.

"Des… we have one stop to make before we go to Asgard. We need an army." Loki said, a glint of anger burning in his eyes.

"I thought we were going to Asgard, and I was going to be a decoy for Odin?" Des asked, confused.

Loki shook his head. "We are, but I want a back up plan. I don't want anything to happen to you. We are going to Jotunheim first. I thought about this while you were gone-I couldn't stand it if something happened to you. You have been so good to me, so kind, and I… I don't know that I could live with it if something happened to you because one of my plans failed."

Des was stunned. This was the most emotion she had seen him display, outside of anger and disgust, since she had met him. "Loki," she said, "I agreed to help you, knowing what was at stake. I trust you. If you want to change the plan, that's fine, but if you want to do it the other way-with me as the decoy and you freeing this prisoner, I'm on board for that, too."

Loki's eyes closed for a moment and he reached down for Des' hand, holding it in his own. She couldn't help but feel that it was the sweetest and most awkward thing he had ever done in his life. She smiled up at him and put her hand to the side of his face. A single tear fell from his eye.

"I can't lose you," he whispered. "I've already lost everyone else."

"You aren't going to lose me," she assured him. "I'm more resourceful than I look."

"You don't know Odin," he argued softly. "He wouldn't take the time to ask questions, Des. Not once he knew you came there with me."

"Well, then, the plan is to avoid him knowing that for as long as it takes you to free the prisoner. Who is it, anyway?"

Loki hesitated for just a second before answering, looking down at her open face. She truly trusted him, completely. There was no subterfuge to her, something that baffled him. There were always plots among the royal family; Des reminded him so much of Thor, so open and honest, but without the bravado.

"He is my real father, Des." Loki answered, lowering his head in shame.

Des moved her hand from Loki's cheek to his chin, raising his face ever so slightly so his eyes met hers. He looked away quickly, and Des smiled.

"Hey. Whatever Odin did to your father, he needs to answer for. We're going to make him answer for it, right?"

Loki paused, then answered. "Right."

"Then let's go. Wherever we go, let's go." Des said.

Loki adjusted his helmet, took a deep breath, and took her hand in his, leading her to the living area. He grabbed the stone in one hand and his own conjured pack in the other. Des grabbed her backpack and was about to ask again how they were getting where they were going, when the stone in his hand glowed bright and they blinked out of the room.

The wind whipped around them and icy snow cut Des' cheeks. She felt the motion sickness Loki had warned her about, but it was a secondary thought to her wonder at the change in scenery.

One instant, they were in the warm desert, in a plush hotel suite. The next, they were standing on a craggy mountain top in what felt like the middle of a winter snow storm. All around them were icy mountain peaks and wind blown valleys. The seemingly endless wind howled in Des' ears and she reached up to cover them instinctively. Loki conjured over her ears and suddenly the wind's howl was muted.

"Sorry about that," he said clearly.

"What did you do?" she asked, astounded.

"I forget that Midgardians aren't used to Jotunheim's winds." He said simply. "Consider what I did earmuffs, but specific to these winds."

"Jotunheim?" She looked around again, taking in the vistas and trying to process that she was on a different world.

Loki nodded solemnly. "And I don't think they'll be too happy to see me, considering how much trouble Thor and I used to get into here…"

"How are you going to get them to listen?"

"I have a plan… I just hope it works." He said cryptically.

They made their way down the path, toward what looked to Des like just the base of the mountain, but Loki seemed to know exactly where he was going. When they reached the bottom of the crag, Loki placed his hand on the frigid ice and Des gasped as his arm turned blue.

"Don't be afraid," he said calmly. "This is as it should be."

A passageway that wasn't there before appeared at his touch, and they entered the mountain, Loki leading the way. Inside, the ice looked like crystal. It was clear and stunningly beautiful as it rose up from the ground and dropped down from the ceiling. Intricate designs of snow and ice formed around the walls, and Des couldn't help a small gasp escaping. When she did, it echoed off the walls melodically.

Loki turned and smiled at her. "This is the temple. This is where we'll find him."

"Who?" she whispered, looking around for anyone-there appeared to be no one around.

Suddenly there was a rumble from deep in the cavern. A large, blue creature stood up from what appeared to be a throne made of delicate ice and moved slowly toward them, a huge sword of ice in his hand.

"Who are you, that you disturb my rest?"

Loki stood in front of Des, taking off his helmet and speaking proudly. "I am Loki Laufeyson. I come to claim my birthright and plan an attack against the legions of Asgard."

The Frost Giant before them chuckled, and the sound was like boulders rolling down a mountainside. "You? You are puny; tiny. You are no Laufeyson. Besides, Laufey is as good as dead."

"It is my plan to free him, to see him seated on his rightful throne, back here on Jotunheim, but I need your help to do so."

"Prove to me that you are the son of Laufey." The Giant demanded, looking skeptical.

Loki pulled up his sleeve and held out his arm. "Touch me. Either I will show my true form, or I will be a pretty statue for your temple. Either way, you win."

Des backed up a step. She didn't like this. If Loki was wrong… The Frost Giant stepped forward and put his hand around Loki's arm. The armor froze off immediately, but his arm turned blue, and then the blue started to spread. In mere moments, all of Loki's skin was the same color as the Frost Giant's.

Loki turned to Des, and she gasped. His blue eyes were now red. "I had no way to tell you," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. This is the only way."

The Frost Giant was laughing hard. "You _are _the son of Laufey! You even have his markings upon your face! Come, little Giant. You and your woman are welcome here. We shall celebrate the return of the prince, and the impending return of the king!"

Loki shook his head. "There is no time. We must prepare to attack Asgard. I need to know what our armies stand at, and how soon we can mobilize. I have a plan, and need to meet with any generals still standing."

"You're looking at 'im, Little Prince," said the Frost Giant. "I am Garmoth. I was your father's most trusted advisor, and when Odin took you and him from us, I was charged with guarding this spot and our treasures until either you returned or he did. Truthfully, though, none believed it would actually happen."

"Garmoth," Loki took a step forward, smiling that smile that gave Des chills with how cold it was. "We have much to plan."


	12. But What Of Thor

Heimdall stood at his post, watching as always out into the darkness beyond Asgard, as Thor approached the chamber quietly, his face covered by a cloak.

"Good evening, your highness," Heimdall said softly as Thor snuck into the chamber.

The prince stopped short, then shook his head. "I sometimes forget you see _all, _Heimdall," he said with chagrin.

"What can I do for you?" Heimdall asked, already having an idea what Thor needed. He had been waiting for this visit for weeks, and was honestly surprised it took the young man this long to come ask after his wayward brother.

Thor cleared his throat and stood to his full height, trying to look commanding (and in the process forgetting that Heimdall had known him since his birth). Heimdall smiled a little but didn't take his eyes off the skies.

"I need to know where Loki has gone to, Heimdall." Thor said in an authoritative voice.

Heimdall raised one eyebrow at him.

"Please," Thor added, his shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "I have been so worried about him. He has been gone so long, and no one knows where he is or what he's up to."

"No one, your highness?" Heimdall asked.

Thor stopped short of answering, realization dawning on his face. "_YOU know! _Heimdall, you must tell me what Loki has been up to! Please, I beg of you! I have barely slept for worry about him."

Heimdall was already shaking his head. "If you want answers, you cannot find them here. I may be able to show you what he is doing, but his actions will not make sense without understanding-and for that, you need answers."

Thor thought about that response for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "Where would I go to find these answers, Heimdall?"

"Your mother." Heimdall answered.

"M..mother? What has she to do with this mess?!" Thor demanded angrily.

Another voice floated in from the entrance to the chamber. "I can answer that, my son."

Frigga stood at the entrance, her hand extended to Thor. "Come with me," she entreated, "and I will explain everything, if you wish. Some things you may not like-but it is time you know, especially if you are to take the throne after your father."

Thor went to her and took her hand, confused but willing to listen. Anything to find out where his brother had gone. The way Loki had left-those cutting words and then… nothing-it haunted him.

For Frigga's part, her stomach was in knots as she led Thor through the city, and through the palace, to the dungeon where the prisoners were kept. If Odin found out that she was showing _Thor _this secret as well, he would have her head… beloved wife or not. Loki was disposable; Thor was not. Going behind Odin's back a second time was risking so much, but she could stand the lies no longer.

"Thor," she said as they made their way toward Laufey's cell, "your father has done some things in his time that he is not proud of, some things that we thought at the time were the right thing to do but, in retrospect, we should not have done-even for the good of Asgard. You may not remember this, but when you were very little, we brought home your baby brother."

Thor stopped dead in his tracks. "Loki? I remember you bringing him home after being gone for a long time… Mother, what are you going on about? What does this have to do with Loki leaving the way he did?"

Frigga reached out to take Thor's hand again, but he pulled it away.

"Mother." He insisted. "Tell me the truth."

Frigga hesitated. She wanted to tell Thor what was going on, but she knew his loyalty to his father would be shaken, and she didn't want to be the one to do that. She had hoped that Laufey would do it for her. In truth, she knew that she had learned from Odin all too well the tricks and maneuverings of politics.

She sighed and stood before Thor, squaring her shoulders and facing him.

"My son," she said, reaching up and caressing his cheek softly, "there are so many things we have withheld from you. So many things we should have told you-and Loki-so long ago. Let me make it up to you now."

"How? What is going on?" Thor asked, thoroughly confused.

Frigga pulled him into a hug, holding him close in the darkness and whispered in his ear, "Your father can never know that you know what you are about to learn, Thor. You must handle this thing with your brother before Odin finds out about it-before he can take action against Loki." She spoke quickly and quietly, then grabbed him by the arm and walked briskly toward the end of the cells.

When they reached Laufey's cell, Frigga stopped and put her hand up to halt Thor as well. She spoke not a word as she motioned him to come closer to the cell, holding up her hand with a glowing light above her palm to illuminate into the dank room. What they saw caused Frigga to let out a shriek of horror and Thor to immediately grip her and pull her back away from the cell's front window.

In the middle of the cell, on the lone chair, sat the giant-dead. There was a jagged slash across his throat, and an abrupt stab through his chest, the weapon still there. It appeared to be one of the daggers Frigga herself would conjure. There was only one other person she knew of that used those daggers, and she couldn't imagine him using them on his own father… Thor, on the other hand, would have no such hesitation.

"Loki," he muttered under his breath.

"No, Thor." She argued quietly, her teeth clenched in anger. She knew by looking at the placement of the injuries who had done such a thing, and who would do it to frame her son, as well. "Not your brother. Your father."

"_Father?!_" Thor was stunned. "Why would _he _do this?! Why do we even _have _a Frost Giant here?!"

"This is-was-Laufey," Frigga said with resignation in her voice. "I suppose I am the only one left to explain this to you now." She moved with Thor out of the dungeon and back toward the Bifrost. The important thing now was to find Loki, before he confronted Odin. If the brothers could be reunited, perhaps a peace-a _true _peace-could be achieved between the two realms. "Laufey was Loki's true father, Thor."

As they walked quickly through the city, she explained what she could of the situation. Thor remained silent, his face like stone, but he was internally boiling. His mind was whirling with everything that his mother was telling him, mostly circling on how his father could hide such secrets from him if he expected Thor to succeed him on the throne. How was he supposed to rule, if he didn't know everything? And _Loki. _

"Mother," he asked at one point, "what am I supposed to do about my brother? Can I even _call _him brother anymore?!"

Frigga whirled on him in the middle of the Bifrost, her eyes blazing, and snarled. "He _is _your brother! He has always been, and will always _be your brother!" _

Thor stepped back, startled by her response to his idle wondering. It took him just an instant, however, to realize that she was right. They had been raised together. They had fought with each other, cried together, laughed together, won battles together. They had bled together, they had lost fellow battle brothers together. They were truly brothers-and he needed Loki to understand that.

"Where is he?" Thor growled.

Frigga's face softened as she saw that Thor understood. "If Heimdall's eyes do not deceive him, Jotunheim."

"What do I do, Mother?" Thor asked, suddenly unsure of himself as he looked to Heimdall's chamber and the transportation portals.

Frigga once again put a hand to his face, like she would do to comfort both her boys when they were little. "Go to him, Thor. Remind him of who he is. He is a prince of Asgard-and of Jotunheim. He holds two realms in his hands right now, and he has the power to bring peace to them both, if he does the right thing. But if he confronts Odin head on… I do not know if I can protect him." Her eyes welled up with unshed tears, full of fear for her beloved son.

Thor put his hand over hers on his cheek, smiling down at her. "I will bring him home, Mother. And if he insists on confronting Father, I will protect him myself. This ends now. The secrets, the deaths… it all ends now."

With that, Thor went the rest of the way down the Bifrost alone, to Heimdall's chamber and the portals. Frigga watched, the fear in her heart growing as she tried not to foresee the worst possible outcome-losing _two _sons-before willing her face back to stillness, drying her eyes, and walking back toward the palace with her head held high. Odin would not learn from her what had happened, and she trusted Heimdall with her life.

In truth, she would have to at this point. He was already neck-deep in the plot, whether he wanted to be or not.


	13. The Brothers Meet

There was a time when Loki would have considered the Jotuns his enemies. He was raised as an Asgardian, after all. But now, standing in the Strategy Room with Garmoth as they gazed over the plans for the attack, he felt at home.

He used all the tools of battle that Odin had taught him growing up - everything from how to surprise your enemy to which prisoners to take over which warriors to cut down immediately. This was going to be an all-out war, and Loki knew that. He could not afford for it to be anything less. For just a moment, his thoughts drifted to his brother, to Thor, and his heart clenched at the thought of what he might have to do if they met in battle. He truly did not want to hurt Thor. He had come to that conclusion the night before, when talking to Des about it, and now his thoughts wandered back to that conversation as they stood under Jotunheim's sky.

"_Loki, what will you do if you run into your brother?" Des had asked him bluntly. _

_Loki hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer. He honestly didn't know what he would do if he met Thor on the field of battle - not as allies, but as enemies. _

"_I suppose I would fight him," he said quietly. _

_Des turned and looked at him in the starlight. Her face was stern, reminding him of his mother when he had told an untruth._

_"You don't mean that." She said in no uncertain terms. _

"_I-" he tried to begin, then sighed. His shoulders sagged. "No, I suppose I don't. Odin, I would fight in a heartbeat. But Thor has not wronged me. I couldn't hurt him."_

_Des nodded. "Then we will have to find another way where he is concerned." She sounded determined. _

"_You sound sure of yourself," Loki smiled at her. It was good to have an ally - she reminded him sometimes of Thor, sometimes of Frigga, sometimes even of Sif. She was like no one he had ever met, and it was good to have her as a… friend. Yes, it was nice to finally have a friend of his own, not just tagging along with Thor's friends. _

_Des nodded again, looking up at him and smiling back. "I am. He's your brother. We will find a way."_

Now, going over plans with Garmoth, Loki was less sure of how he was going to get to Thor before the battle to explain everything so they didn't _have _to fight, but he knew he needed to do so.

"Garmoth, I have a question," he said finally, interrupting the Frost Giant's rantings about the defenses of Asgard.

"Of course, my Prince. What can I do for you?"

"Would it be possible to get me, or possibly one other person, into the palace alone - before the fighting starts? There is someone I must find."

Garmoth paused for a moment, looking down at his strategic maps and rubbing his chin. "I suppose it might be possible," he replied slowly, "but I don't understand why it would be necessary…"

At that moment, before Loki could find a way to explain his need to find Thor, their meeting was interrupted by a disturbance at the doorway. Des came rushing in, flustered and out of breath.

"Loki!" she cried. "You need to come outside _now!_"

Loki didn't waste any time, but followed her out of the chamber, into the snowy terrain. There he was met with the guards, surrounding and harassing someone who seemed rather unhappy at their treatment.

"UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT!" Bellowed a familiar voice from the center of the circle. "DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM?"

Loki stood in stunned silence for just a moment, until Des nudged him in the ribs. Shaking himself, he cleared his throat to get the nearest guards' attention. They parted and let him through without a word, bowing. Others followed suit, until there was a clear path to the center of the circle - and their prisoner.

Thor.

The blond Asgardian looked around until he saw Loki standing before him, and then his angry face lit up like a beacon.

"LOKI! I have looked everywhere for you! Please tell these neanderthals that I am your brother and am here to take you home." He said with relief, smiling.

Loki blinked in surprise for a moment. It had never occurred to him that Thor would want him to return to Asgard… to be his brother still. He willed Odin's magic to fall away from his face and body, and it turned blue, like the rest of the Jotuns. The markings of Laufey appeared on his face, and Loki looked at Thor with sadness in his now amber-red eyes.

"I cannot return, Thor. I am not of Asgard, as you can see. I am where I belong. _This _is my home, now - Jotunheim. I am Loki Laufeyson, not a son of Odin."

Thor was shaking his head. "Mother told me everything, Loki. It matters naught to me. You are _my brother. _We have fought together and bled together; we have grown together through the ages, Loki. I am here to do one of two things. Take you home if you will go, and if not… I am here to help, in any way I can." He put Mjolnir down and put his arm out to take Loki's.

Loki looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before taking it. "I will not return as a prince of Asgard," he said firmly. "I mean only to return to take Odin's head and nothing more."

"If that is what you need, then I am your ally." Thor repeated.

Loki's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Why? Why are you willing to help me kill your father?"

Thor put his hand down to his side and sighed. "I had hoped to not discuss this out in public, Loki… Is there somewhere more private where we can talk?"

Loki glanced at the guards, already raising their spears again towards Thor. If he had news they found unfavorable, they would run him through in an instant, no matter what Loki had ordered.

"Very well," he said, motioning for Thor to follow him. "Come with me."

He led Thor into the Strategy Room with Gramoth, who stood and hefted an ice spear of his own on seeing the Asgardian. Loki motioned silently with one hand and Gramoth put down the spear, but he watched Thor from his place beside the throne with a wary eye.

Loki took his place on the throne and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and tenting his fingers against his sharp nose.

"Go on, Thor. What do you have to tell me that you couldn't say in front of my people?"

Thor eyed Gramoth for a moment, then turned back to Loki. "Father has done something unthinkable, and in any other circumstances, with any other ruler, the punishment would be death. It shouldn't be different just because it is my father."

"What has he done, exactly?" Loki asked slowly.

"He killed a prisoner of war, and then staged it to look like you did it." Thor replied angrily.

Loki's eyes flashed brightly for just an instant with rage before he got it under control. "And," he asked coldly, "which prisoner of war was it that he brutally slaughtered in my name?"

"It was… Laufey," Thor said haltingly, staring at the floor.

Loki stood, conjured a dagger, and thrust it into the arm of the icy throne with such force that it cracked the ice. Even Gramoth jumped back a step at that display. Des, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time standing guard to make sure no one else entered, gasped and her hand went to her mouth.

Thor stood straighter and looked up at Loki, a determined and firm look on his face. "So you can see why my loyalties are not in question. They do not lie with Odin. He has committed an atrocity, and I will not turn a blind eye to it just because he is my father."

Loki looked back at Thor, then over at Des. His eyes were brimming with tears unshed - for the father he never got to know, never got to free; for the father who betrayed him throughout his entire life and now used him as a pawn in his new plots.

Des wanted to run to him and hug him - he looked like he could use it - but she knew that it would lessen him in the eyes of his general, and possibly his brother. Instead, she walked calmly to his side and took his hand. She held it, looking up at him silently, and squeezed it. Everything she couldn't say in that moment was expressed in that grasp of his hand. How much she cared, how sorry she was for his loss - even those he had never had to begin with, and how much she wanted to be there for him.

Loki squeezed her hand back, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for just a moment. When he opened them, the tears were gone. His gaze focused back on Thor again.

"I will welcome your help, then. What should we do first?" he said, his voice like steel.


	14. Asgard

It didn't take long for Thor and Loki to come to an agreement that facing Odin head-on would be a fool's errand. What surprised Loki was that it was _Thor _who needed convincing-not himself.

"Why should we not confront him with his crimes?!" Thor had bellowed into the war chamber, his face red with fury.

Loki stared at Thor incredulously. "Because it's Odin? Because he's sure to have seen us coming if we do that? Because he'll be surrounded with his guards-who will know absolutely _nothing _of what he's done?!" Loki's voice rose until he was shouting at the end of his argument.

Thor threw up his hands in frustration, bringing his fists down onto the table, nearly cracking the ice. Des jumped back, her eyes wide with fear. Even Gramoth seemed uneasy around the thunder god. Only Loki was unfazed by Thor's outburst.

"Thor," he said more calmly, looking to his brother with the patient expression their mother wore whenever Thor threw a tantrum like this. "We cannot face him head-on. Odin will have seen us coming by the time we get to Asgard. Our only hope at this point is that Heimdall will work with Frigga-"

"Mother." Thor hissed through clenched teeth. "You will not disrespect her along with Odin."

Loki sighed. Thor made a good point with that one, but while he was on Jotunheim, he had to distance himself from the Asgardians. Why couldn't Thor understand that?!

"That Heimdall will work with _Mother _and not tell Odin directly where we are or what we're doing when we arrive. I know the back ways into Asgard; I've used them for years. Odin doesn't know that I know. He will be expecting us to use the Bifrost. When we do not, that will be our only advantage."

Loki waited and watched as Thor mentally chewed on that information. He knew that Thor wasn't stupid-just a little slow when it came to delicate strategy. Thor's idea of strategy was to go barrelling in and just hit anything in his way with that damned hammer of his. That wouldn't work this time, though. If there was one thing Loki was sure of, it was that Odin was there, on his throne, lying in wait for them. And Loki would be damned if he was going to walk into that kind of trap willingly.

Thor looked down at his fists embedded in the table, then loosened his hands and lowered them to his sides. "He… he killed Laufey… and made it look like it was _you. _For no other reason than to stir up unrest against you, Loki. Why would he do that?" Thor raised his eyes to Loki and the younger brother was stunned to see the pain in his older sibling's eyes.

Des stepped into the room from her place guarding the door. She walked over to Thor and put a hand on his arm. He looked down at her kindly and his pain was almost palpable.

"Thor, we haven't been taking your feelings into account here." Des said, looking up into his face gently. "All we've been talking about is Loki's revenge-which _is _important-but we haven't acknowledged your place in all of this. Odin… Odin was your hero when you were a child, wasn't he?"

Thor nodded silently, and a single tear fell. Des, almost without thinking, reached up and hugged him. He stood stock-still for a moment, then put his head on her shoulder and accepted the hug. When she let him go a moment later, she turned to Loki, who stood wordlessly watching the exchange.

"Thor…" Loki said eventually, "I am sorry. Your struggle on this is important to me. We still cannot meet him in his strength, but I understand your need to confront him. We shall-just not in the peak of his strength. We have to do this the smart way, not the strong way."

Thor sighed, and put his arm around Des. "Fine. If we must do it your way, we shall do it your way. As long as we get to confront him at _some _point, I don't mind doing it through some back doors. But… how do you know where these back doors are?"

Loki smiled. "Odin isn't the only one who knows how to use the back ways in and out of Asgard. I often went off-world when I didn't want Heimdall to know where I was going. Trust me, this will be the best way in and out. Heimdall will still see us arrive, but we won't be walking in the front gates."

With that, Thor, Loki, Des, and Gramoth all huddled around the table to finalize their plans for infiltrating Asgard and taking down Odin.

==========================================================

It was the early morning when the skiff emerged from the rocks, into Asgard's realm. On it was the motley band of warriors, plus three other Jotuns. Loki was at the helm, steering the skiff silently through the choppy waves. By the time they reached their destination in the little boat, Thor was completely shocked at what he had seen of "his" realm. The alcoves and the eddys, the ebb and flow of the waters and the way Loki expertly navigated them, and he was genuinely impressed with his younger brother. He truly had no idea that these things existed in Asgard, and he thought he knew all of its secrets. It was time for the elder brother to admit that there were many things about his realm that he was not privy to.

For Loki's part, he was enjoying being back on these waters, even if the errand on which they embarked was a dire one. He had missed his adventures in the backwaters of Asgard, going off-world in skiffs and other crafts without Odin's knowledge. Sure, Heimdall always knew where he was, but the Seer had always kept quiet about the young prince's excursions. Loki now idly wondered if Heimdall had kept quiet because he had disapproved of something in the way Odin was raising the princes, but couldn't outright defy his king. Only time would tell if that subtle defiance would hold up in their hour of need.

Loki turned his attention to Des, who seemed so out of place, and yet… something about her seemed to fit in with himself and Thor. She had so easily fallen in with Thor, and that was after she had practically adopted Loki back on Midgard. Loki was grateful for this, because he was unsure if and when he was going to be able to return her to her old life. He would need to address that with her soon. Not yet, they still had some pressing matters to attend to, but soon. Des deserved to know that it may be some time before Loki could return her home-especially if Heimdall were to be injured or worse in this coming confrontation.

Loki was unsure why that thought upset him as much as it did. Heimdall wasn't his people, these Jotuns were! As if summoned by that thought, memories of Heimdall trying to teach Loki and Thor a little of the Sight; teasing them in good nature about their lack of ability as children; Heimdall's long-suffering looks as Loki would try to sneak across the Bifrost and make his way into the portal to go off-world as a youth. Then the memory that clenched at his chest for a moment and hitched his breath. Heimdall pulling Loki aside in the palace one day, presenting him with the maps of the realm, _complete _maps, and showing him other ways to get off the realm besides the Bifrost. Heimdall explaining to Loki that, while he could still _see _these passages, he didn't often look upon them… making it very clear that, if Loki wished for privacy in his excursions, this was the way to go about it.

This was why the thought upset him. Heimdall acted with kindness toward him-kindness that wasn't just because he was a prince, but because Heimdall actually cared-and now Loki could be looking at the Asgardian's death, on his behalf. Because Heimdall had helped Loki yet again, albeit through omission this time, he could be killed by Odin without another thought. Loki's blood boiled at the thought, but he maintained his cool exterior. Or, at least, he thought he did.

He jumped when he felt Des' hand on his. He looked down at her fingers gently touching his hand on the rudder, then looked up into her eyes. They looked concerned. Had he given himself away that much?

"Loki, you look upset. We will do everything we can to not let anything happen to those you care about. In and out-quick and quiet. Our target is Odin, not the whole of Asgard." She assured him.

_Damn, _he thought. _I wasn't holding it together as well as I thought. Not if she could read me that well. _What he said, though, was: "I know, Des. I'll be fine."

Des snorted and turned back to the front of the skiff, her hand still on his. Whether for her own benefit or to reassure him, he wasn't sure… and he found that he didn't really care. He would take comfort from her touch either way. It was going to be so difficult to send her home… Later. He would think about that later.

They landed the skiff behind the palace at the docks. Thor looked around just as wide-eyed as Des, having never seen this side of his palace before. Loki, however, was very familiar with the labyrinthine passages in the back of the palace. Leading everyone through the dark, dank, stone halls, he motioned for the Jotuns to station themselves at various cross-sections, to prevent anyone from following them. By the time they reached the inner palace chambers and where they might possibly find members of the royal family, there were only four of them. Thor, Loki, Des, and Gramoth, who refused to leave his leader's side under any circumstances.

Loki, who led the small troop, kept his eyes forward and daggers in each hand. He would not be surprised by one of Odin's tricks. Not like Laufey was. Thoughts turned to how he had treated Laufey the one and only time he had been permitted to meet his father. Something inside him twisted…

A hand shot out of the darkness from a side passage and grabbed him around the face, another hand reaching out and gripping his wrists before he could stab at the attacker. In an instant, Loki was pulled into the inky blackness of the side passage-in total silence. The other three stood for just an instant before following, all of them with their weapons drawn-until they saw who it was that took their leader.

"_Mother?!_" Thor whispered incredulously. Then he saw the yellow eyed man stepping out behind her. "_Heimdall?!_"

Frigga let Loki go, and he stood straighter and fixed his leather tunic, putting his blades back on his belt. "I didn't want us to be seen." She said in a matter of fact tone. "Your father doesn't know I'm here, and he would do… things… if he did."

Loki looked at her and his eyes narrowed as he studied her. Frigga wore her armor under her garments. She was ready for _battle_! "Mother… What kind of things?" He asked slowly.

Frigga waved him away. "That's not important. What is important is that you two take him by surprise. I can help with that. Let me go ahead, get him prepared for you."

"What. kind. of. things?" Loki asked pointedly, staring her down.

Frigga turned and gave him a solid look for the first time. He was different. Then she saw Gramoth. She nodded to him. "General Gramoth. It has been a long time. I am sorry for the loss of your king. Please let me help to make amends for the transgressions of my king."

Gramoth stood stock still for just a moment before chuckling low. "Lady Frigga. It _has _been a long time. You haven't changed a bit. Still the talker, the negotiator-with armor on underneath and a sword at your back, waiting to strike if things do not go your way, eh?"

Frigga turned to Heimdall. "Tell them why you are here."

Heimdall hesitated, looking worried. Frigga rolled her eyes. "Odin is holding Heimdall's son prisoner, as collateral. He is sure that doing so will ensure that Heimdall remains loyal. Unfortunately for Odin, it was just the tipping point Heimdall needed to do the opposite."

Heimdall cleared his throat. "I am loyal to Asgard. Odin is not. He has gone mad." His gaze shifted to Thor. "It is time for you to rule, Thor. Your father is no longer fit to do so, and every day that he continues to sit on the throne, Asgard dies a little more." He turned to Loki. "And you…" he said with a fondness that made Loki want to choke up. "You have found your people, but we are also your people, Loki. You are of both Jotunheim _and _Asgard. Odin may have thought he was creating a treaty with the two of you, but what he was really doing was creating a brotherhood between the two realms. If the two of you are man enough to handle it." That last was said with a smirk and a twinkle in his golden eyes.

Loki smirked back, nodding and clapping Thor on the shoulder. "I think we can handle that. We've been through much worse together than ruling a couple of realms, right?"

Thor let out a low chuckle that grew into a quieter version of his bellowing laugh. He clapped Loki back, which almost sent his brother flying to the floor. Loki rubbed his shoulder where Thor had gotten him, and looked smiling at his brother. No matter what they would face coming up, they would face it together. That was a relief to both of them.

"Now," Frigga said. "For Odin, I have the strong impression that your plan didn't include Heimdall or myself-and it should. I know a place Odin will never go. We can go there and plan."

Loki's face went white as a sheet. "Do we have to go there, Mother?"

Frigga's face softened for a moment, but then it was back to battle-hard. "Yes, my son. This is war, and war calls for us to put aside our personal emotions. You will be fine. You are surrounded by those who love you, and will protect you."

Loki nodded. Des looked at him wonderingly, and Loki just shook his head as they all made their way down to the dungeon, and into the last cell at the end.

Laufey's cell.

Loki was just trying to breathe, but the smell of blood was still mixed with the smell of dark wetness from the walls. He tried very hard not to think about it, about the images that came to his mind of what this cell must have looked like when Thor found it. He felt a gentle pressure on his hand and looked down. Des was holding his hand and looking up at him. She knew.

_Oh no, she knows! _He thought to himself, feeling the bile of panic rising in his throat as it started to close up. Sounds started to grow farther away, and then suddenly there was Thor in front of him, holding onto him, whispering in his ear.

"I know, brother. I saw it. It isn't still here. It's over. We will make him pay for what he did. It's over." Thor whispered this over and over to Loki, almost like a mantra, and it started to calm him. After a minute of this, he was able to breathe and Thor released him.

Frigga gave him a sympathetic look, then changed the subject to save his dignity.

"We need a plan to distract Odin so that you lot can come in and take him down without him being on his guard at the time, right?"

"Right!" chimed in Gramoth cheerily, who was oblivious to what had just happened.

"Then I would suggest letting me go in first," Frigga said, putting her hand up to forestall any argument. "I will leave Heimdall here with you, so you can see what goes on. When your father goes to sleep, that is when you strike."

"That feels so… cheap." Thor spat out.

Loki shook his head. "It may feel cheap, but it also seems smart. We need the advantage on Odin, and that would be an advantage." He turned to Frigga. "If you think that is the smartest way, and if you can assure your safety, then that's what we will do."

Frigga nodded. "If any of us will be safe with him until he falls asleep, it will be me."

Loki nodded. "Then that's what we're doing." He went to Frigga and took her hands in his, staring into her eyes. "Please be safe. I couldn't bear to lose you, too."

She nodded in return, then left. The others stood around the cell, waiting for Heimdall's first report.


	15. It Begins!

Frigga walked calmly through the halls of the palace, her face a placid mask covering her tumultuous emotions. To any she passed, she would have looked for all the world like she was simply heading to her bedchamber to retire for the night. The guards bowed respectfully as she went by them, none the wiser. When she reached the royal apartments, she headed for Odin's rooms instead of her own. As she approached the chamber, she was met by his personal guards.

"His Majesty asked not to be disturbed this evening, Lady Frigga." One of the guards stated, almost apologetically, as the other barred the door with his staff and rather pointedly did not look at the Queen. Frigga moved closer to the first guard and placed a gentle hand on his arm. 

"He will see _me._" She said plainly, in a low voice. The guard's eyes fogged over for a moment and Frigga knew her magic had worked. He was back in another time-hopefully a happy one-and when he returned, he should be much more amenable to her being there. She moved over to the other guard and did the same to him. His eyes fogged over as well, and he slumped against the wall with a stupified smile on his face.

_Well, _she thought with a small, satisfied smile of her own, _that takes care of __**that. **_With both of the guards lost in their favorite memory, she moved past them easily and opened the door to Odin's bedchamber, slipping in and closing the door behind her quietly.

"I told them I was not to be disturbed!" Odin bellowed from his writing desk without looking up.

Frigga cleared her throat and waited.

Odin's head shot up and he recognized who was walking in on him. "Frigga, my beloved! I apologize for the outburst, but I am right in the middle of something and I did not want anyone to bother me."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "And am I 'anyone', Odin?" she asked, her voice a warning to him.

Odin laughed and got up, coming around the desk to approach her with his arms out. "Of course not, my dear! You are always the exception to such rules, not to mention a sight for sore eyes. Let me have a look at you." He took her hand and twirled her around in front of him. When she spun back to face him, Odin's eyes had narrowed shrewdly.

"Are you wearing _armor_, my beloved?" he asked.

Frigga thought fast and smiled at him. "I am, my love. I have taken to heart your warning about if I should help Loki any further, and decided it was prudent to wear something, just in case he should retaliate."

Odin waved away her words and headed back to his desk, satisfied with her answer. "That coward has tucked tail and ran. He won't dare show his face here, even for _you. _He knows better. A coward I may call him, but he is not stupid."

Frigga bristled internally but kept her smile up for him. "Odin, don't you think it's about time you put this away for the night? I had rather hoped to join you this evening…" she trailed off, her expression turning sultry.

Odin looked at her with scrutiny in his eyes. Frigga felt her stomach turn over and clench at the expression. _If he figures out why I'm here… _she thought to herself, then took a deep breath and steadied herself. Odin's face broke into a smile, beckoning her closer. She walked to him seductively, a sway to her hips.

"If that is what my queen wishes," he began as Frigga drew close.

She nodded, smiling back at him. She hoped her expression was one of love and desire, rather than the revulsion and hatred she felt for him. He would break the realm over a petty and ancient fight. Frigga knew what she must do.

She put her hands behind her and conjured a small dagger. She had to protect her sons-both of them-and would do whatever it took. This was no longer the Odin she married; he was bloodthirsty and unstoppable, just like the old days.

She drew nearer to him and put her free hand up around his neck, careful to conceal the dagger in the other hand. Odin's eyes slid shut, but before they did, she caught the flash of fire and _was that regret? _in those blue eyes.

Just as she was about to plunge the dagger into his breast, he produced one of his own and held it to her throat.

"I had rather hoped that _you_ would not be among my traitors, my dear," his voice was raspy but the dagger at her neck did not shake. His nerves were steady, and he knew what he was doing.

Frigga tried to keep the fear from her face, but she knew her eyes were practically bulging out of her skull. "I simply want to protect my family," she whispered.

Odin nodded. "And I must protect myself _from _my family, it would seem. Tell me, my _beloved_," he nearly spat the term of endearment at her, "are both of the boys in on this plot, or is it just that snake that you refuse to let go?"

"Loki is no snake!" she exclaimed and the dagger at her throat pushed in just a little, drawing a small ribbon of blood from her, but she stood resolutely and did not back down. "My son-_our _son-is no snake, Odin. You have been poisoned by your paranoia and power. Please, my love-"

With one swift movement, the dagger at her throat sliced. Frigga clutched her throat, now spilling her lifeblood down her gown, and backed away. She moved her mouth as if to speak, but no sound came. Her eyes welled up with silent tears as she looked on Odin, who stood shocked at what he had just done. She held out her other hand to him, and he took it as she started to fall to the floor.

"I am so sorry, my love. This is not what I had wished for you," Odin intoned solemnly. "I only hope that the same fate doesn't befall Thor."

He held her hand until all life left her, then moved his fingers to gently close her eyes as she lay on his bedchamber floor. Then he stood, wiped the dagger off on her sullied gown, and put it back in his desk.

"Guards! _Guards! To me!_" he shouted. When the door opened and the two guards entered, Odin was sitting beside Frigga's body, and he looked up with unshed tears in his eyes. The guards looked first to Odin and then to their queen, lying dead on the floor.

"Your Majesty! What has happened?" The first guard asked.

"Loki. He appeared in my chamber only a moment ago. First he tried to kill me, and when that was unsuccessful, he attacked his own _mother. _Find him. He will still be somewhere in the palace, and he must be stopped!"

The guards hastened out of the room and Odin turned his attention back to the form of his dead wife. "Perhaps," he murmured quietly, deep in thought, "your death will serve me after all, my dear."

Heimdall let out a loud cry and the others rushed to stop the noise. Des was the first to reach him and covered his mouth as he screamed. When he had calmed, they all looked at him expectantly.

"The queen…" he started, then stopped as he tried to gather strength and his breath. "The queen is dead."

Thor went white as a sheet and sat down hard on the plank bed in the cell, stunned.

"She was only supposed to _occupy _him until he fell asleep!" he argued. "How could she be… I don't believe she's… Heimdall, are you certain?"

Heimdall nodded. "I saw it myself, your highness."

Loki's reaction was far more visceral. When he heard this, he went to the wall of the cell, beating it with his fists and letting out a howling shriek, full of agony and fury. At first everyone was shocked, but then Des went to him and took his fists away from the wall, standing between it and him. At her compassionate touch, Loki calmed slightly, but his face was already streaked with tears.

"Why?!" he pleaded.

Des simply shook her head and moved his hands to his sides, then held him close. He put his head down on her shoulder in grief and defeat, sobbing. Her hand went up to the back of his head and gently stroked his hair. The familiarity of the gesture, so much like his mother would have done, was too much for Loki. He wrapped his arms around Des and cried.

She held him like that until he had regained some of his composure, only sniffling a little. She lifted his head off her shoulder and wiped away his tears lovingly.

"Your mother knew what she was doing, Loki. She didn't go into this blindly-not any part of it. She knew the risks, and took them because you and Thor are worth those risks. You are her children. A mother would do anything for her children-even die." She explained gently.

Loki nodded a little, then shook his head. The grief in his face was replaced with hard lines of anger. "Odin will pay with his life for what he has done tonight."

Thor stood up from the plank bed and nodded vigorously. "That he will, brother. We will make sure of it. That monster is not our father-whatever he may have been before, he has crossed too many lines for me to excuse him any more."

Heimdall, standing by the door of the cell, turned to them, his face ashen.

"You must prepare yourselves, my princes. Odin comes."

They all moved into action, leaving the cell and standing in a small group at the end of the hall. Loki moved Des protectively behind all of them, and Gramoth stood in front of her with his spear out. He looked down at her and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Midgardian. We will protect you with our lives."

Des nodded, but she had her own dagger out, ready to fight if necessary. Loki, Thor, and Heimdall took up positions in the front, Gramoth behind them, and Des at the back. They watched the other end of the hall, all of them with their ears perked up for any sound that shouldn't have been there, ready for whatever came to them.

There was a scuffling at the top of the stairs on the other end of the hall, and they knew someone was on their way down.

"Maybe it's only the guards…" Thor said hopefully. "Perhaps no one has told Odin where we are, yet."

"Not bloody likely," Heimdall muttered under his breath.

Sure enough, the figure they saw approaching, coming down the stairs, was indeed Odin, surrounded by his personal guards. Des felt her stomach clench. She had heard so much about this man that, to be almost face-to-face with him finally, she felt a frisson of fear.

Loki and Thor adjusted their weapons and moved into an aggressive stance. Odin moved toward them at a slow, casual pace. His guards were on alert but not in battle formation. Loki narrowed his eyes in suspicion and watched everything around the room. Odin would never walk into an attack like this, and surely he could see them from where he was. There was no reason for him to look so casual. Then one of the guards yelled from the front of the troop.

"You murdered our queen, you bastard!" he bellowed, pointing his spear at Loki.

Loki blinked in shock, then saw the smile on Odin's face and knew exactly how things had gone down. He took a deep breath, turned to Thor who nodded at him, and then Loki was rushing up the hall toward the guards and Odin. Thor let out a battle cry and swung his hammer into the fray, running after it. Heimdall hesitated only a moment before joining them silently, his sword drawn.

Gramoth stayed back with Des, who was growing more and more impatient to go help her friend. She tried to push past him, but he put out an arm to bar her way, looking down at her and shaking his solemn head.

"Not yet, little Midgardian. We will have our chance." He assured her, and Des calmed enough to simply watch the brothers do what they had always done best-fighting side by side.


	16. The Reckoning

Their fight against the guards took only a few moments. Loki sliced through the Asgardians with his knives like he was cutting through water. Thor's hammer moved at such speed, Des had trouble following it. And Heimdall, with his glittering sword in hand, cut through the regimen like it was nothing. Almost before Des knew what was happening, Odin stood alone facing his sons and his Protector.

The king stood proud and unafraid, staring down the others. Then his gaze went past the three and caught sight of Garmoth and Desdemona. His eyes narrowed.

"You brought a _Midgardian_ to Asgard?!" he accused the others. "And why is there a Frost Giant in my halls?!"

Thor looked abashed for a moment, but Loki met his father's gaze with triumph in his eyes. "I brought my _friends_ to your halls, Odin. It matters not from whence they came, just like it mattered not from whence you took _me _to bring me here as an infant. We all want the same thing."

Odin's voice grew quiet. "And what is that?"

Loki's own voice turned to ice. "Your death. For the death of the queen, for the countless deaths of my people, for your bloodthirsty ways. It all ends tonight."

Odin took a step forward down the stairs, and Loki and Thor instinctively backed up to match him. "You know," he began conversationally, "you and Thor are just as culpable for the deaths on Jotunheim as I am. I recall more than once, you two going into battle _against _the Frost Giants."

"On _your _orders." Loki quipped in return. "You never wanted peace, you never wanted to see both me and Thor ruling, beyond the fact that you thought it would subjugate the Frost Giants if I ruled there, giving you even _more _power."

Garmoth was growling low in his throat, and Des reached up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

Garmoth shook his head. "All of those deaths, even at the hand of our rightful king, cannot be forgotten. My brothers and sisters, all gone because of Odin." His hand tightened on his battle axe. "I cannot forgive him for what he has done."

With a loud roar, Garmoth raced forward. "_FOR JOTUNHEIM!" _he cried as he barrelled down the hall toward Odin.

Odin looked up, saw the armed Frost Giant heading toward him, and quickly produced a sword of his own. Garmoth pushed past Loki, Thor, and Heimdall, and struck with his battle axe. Odin blocked with his sword, and the battle axe shattered. His response was to immediately move his sword to Garmoth's middle, and thrust it in deep.

Garmoth let out a groan and doubled over. He looked pleadingly at Loki, who stood dumbfounded, before falling over completely, incapacitated. Loki snapped back to himself and raised his knife. Thor's hammer started swaying ominously. Heimdall took an aggressive stance with his sword.

Loki was the only one who spoke, and when he did it was barely above a whisper and through gritted teeth.

"It all ends now, _father._" He said, readying his knives.

With that, the three attacked. To Des, it looked like a blur of motion. Loki dodging Odin's attacks-which seemed focused entirely on him-as he slashed out with his knives. Odin dodging the knives so that only his robes were cut. Thor swinging his hammer at Odin's head, who moved out of the way just an instant before he was decapitated. Heimdall's sword moved like a steel-plated snake, sliding in on the soft spots, ready to strike but somehow unable. Des watched these expert warriors combine their efforts and still have no success with frustration. If someone could just get closer to him or distract him… then Des got an idea.

She started slinking stealthily up the corridor, her dagger drawn and clearly visible in her hand. As she got closer, she stopped sneaking and started walking up to the battle with purpose. Finally, just before she reached the four of them, Odin spotted her. That was all she was after. With his eyes on her, he missed the knife of Loki's as it swung to attack. It plunged deep into his side, where Loki had intended it.

Odin gasped and turned to his assailant, looking into his eyes one last time, pleadingly as Garmoth had done. This time, however, instead of being stunned out of action, Loki took the opportunity to grasp his knife in Odin's side, look back at him in the eyes, and twist the knife. Odin cried out in pain before slumping over, unconscious. Loki knew it would take more than one knife wound to kill Odin, so he grabbed Des' dagger and put it to Odin's throat.

"Wait!" Des cried out, putting her hand out to stop him.

"Des," Loki said, steel in his voice, "if we don't, he'll just recover. He needs to pay for what he's done."

"Then make him pay. Don't give him the easy way out, Loki. Lock him in one of these cells and throw away the proverbial key."

Loki pondered her idea for a long moment. It was then, to the surprise of everyone, that Garmoth raised his head weakly.

"She is right, my king. It is easy to die, and it is easy to kill. Make him suffer instead."

Loki turned to Thor. "What would you do? You're going to be the next ruler of Asgard, no matter what happens here tonight. Which would you take?"

Thor thought about it, mulled it over, with his hand twitching on his hammer. He wanted to smash the old man's head in, but that wouldn't be the right, _kingly _thing to do.

"Put him in the same cell Laufey occupied. He is a prisoner of war." Thor intoned, his voice never wavering.

Loki smiled. That was a fitting end to this embittered old man.

Heimdall took Odin over his shoulder and did as his new king commanded. The others turned to face Des.

"Heimdall can get you home, through the Bifrost," Thor assured her.

"I don't want to go home." Des said resolutely. "I'm going back to Jotunheim to help Loki and Garmoth."

Loki's face turned pale. "Des…" he began. "I can't always be protecting you, and Jotunheim is a dangerous place."

She shrugged. "My world was dangerous, too, and I did a pretty good job of protecting _you_, didn't I? Besides, you need my help. Those Frost Giants haven't had a king since Odin imprisoned Laufey. You'll need a humanity adviser, so you don't go off half-cocked and get into trouble."

Loki's heart was warmed at her offer, but he still had reservations. "What about your family? Your friends? There has to be something back on Midgard that you'll miss."

Des put up her hands in another shrug. "Not really. I have no family to speak of, and no friends like you. I'd rather stay with you."

Loki grabbed her into a big hug. Thor looked on, astonished at this display of affection from his brother. When Loki let Des go, she turned to see Thor's face and started laughing.

"I may have been a bad influence on your brother," she admitted sheepishly.

Thor shook his head, smiling down at her. "Not a bad influence. Not a bad influence at all."


End file.
